"The West, it was stressed, had no quarrel with the Iranian
people—only with a regime that seemed bent on getting a nuclear bomb, or
at least the capacity for making one. Yet, as sanctions have become
increasingly punitive in the face of Iran’s intransigence, it is
ordinary Iranians who are paying the price. On October 1st and 2nd Iran’s rial lost more than 25% of its value
against the dollar. Since the end of last year it has depreciated by
over 80%, most of that in just the past month. Despite subsidies
intended to help the poor, prices for staples, such as milk, bread,
rice, yogurt and vegetables, have at least doubled since the beginning
of the year. Chicken has become so scarce that when scant supplies
become available they prompt riots. On October 3rd police in Tehran
fired tear-gas at people demonstrating over the rial’s collapse. The
city’s main bazaar closed because of the impossibility of quoting
accurate prices." That is what US officials call "biting sanctions". When the people can't bite food anymore.