Iran’s foreign ministry on Monday said it has summoned Poland’s chargé d'affaires in Tehran following comments made by Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, who last week criticized Iran and Russia's military cooperation.
"In response to the biased and baseless remarks made by the Polish foreign minister against our country, Marcin Wilczek, Poland’s chief envoy in Tehran, was summoned by Mahmoud Heidari, the assistant foreign minister," the statement read.
While the ministry did not elaborate on the specifics of the comments they rebuffed, semi-official IMNA news agency reported that the summons followed Sikorski’s role in facilitating the transfer of an Iranian-made drone from Ukraine to the US for display at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
Speaking about his involvement, Sikorski told The Wall Street Journal last week, “There is an axis of aggression between Iran and Russia. The Islamic Republic is sending death and destruction into all directions, and we need to jointly, directly, face the threat and remove it.”
On taking credit for the trophy drone, Sikorski said, “We have to remember that the first credit needs to go to the Ukrainians, who shot the thing down.”
According to WSJ, Sikorski helped to facilitate the drone’s procurement for the US-based nonprofit organization, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI).
The surge, marked by a monthly inflation exceeding 4% for the first time in the past year, has exacerbated the widespread public discontent, especially as food prices skyrocket. Hundreds of Iranian have sent messages to Iran International complaining about soaring prices.
Official data reveals that food costs are the primary driver of inflation, with rural areas experiencing a higher rate (36%) than urban centers (35.2%). Low-income households are bearing the brunt of this economic strain, particularly in provinces like Semnan, West Azarbaijan, and Hormozgan.
"The point-to-point inflation rate, indicating how much household expenses have changed compared to last year, reached 35.3% in the Persian calendar month of Bahman (ended on February 18)," said the Statistical Center. "This marks the highest inflation rate in 12 months."
Vegetables and legumes saw a staggering 16.9% monthly inflation, while fruits and nuts rose by 8.7%. Conversely, education saw the lowest monthly inflation, below 1%.
Annual inflation has risen by around 40 percent, each year in the past five years, and the rial has lost 95% of its value since 2018 when Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal and re-imposed draconian sanctions on the country.
The massive depreciation of the rial and high inflation have drastically increased the cost of living, including expenses for food, housing, and healthcare and driven over 30 percent of the population below the poverty line.
Citizens engaging with Iran International have corroborated these findings, sending videos depicting a sharp rise in essential goods prices.
