Government spokesperson says the increase in food coupon credit is not final because sustainable funding has not been secured

Fatemeh Mohajerani, the Iranian government spokesperson, said the decision to raise the credit on the electronic food coupon has not been finalised because sustainable funding has not been identified. Her position was reported by Khabar Online on Tuesday, 4 August 2026 (13 Mordad 1405). She said the increase requires a defined and continuous budget allocation, and that until those resources are available the increase cannot be implemented.

The proposed increase has been under discussion since the start of the Iranian year, and Yaghoub Andayesh, a deputy at the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labour and Social Welfare, said in late Tir that a decision to raise the credit for some income deciles had been finalised. Under the details set out at the time, the first to sixth income deciles were to receive the increase while the seventh to tenth deciles would keep their existing credit. The figures circulating for the size of the increase are not yet official.

The electronic food coupon scheme covers 11 basic food items and, according to published information, allocates one million toman a month in credit for each eligible person. The credit is linked to the household head's bank card, and recipients do not need a new card or an in person visit to use it. About 87 million Iranians are said to be covered by the scheme.