Financial Tribune- The last time the country experienced a rise in retail bread price was in November 2014.

Despite the soaring costs, bakers say, the government does not allow any increase in bread prices. Last year�s directive by Market Regulation Headquarters authorizing a 15% rise in bread prices only lasted for a day, as President Hassan Rouhani ordered Iran�s Chamber of Guilds to halt the rise in bread prices.

Bread is a main item in Iranian households� consumer basket�a sample of consumer goods and services used to track prices�particularly the consumer basket of households in low-income deciles, the pricing of which is a highly controversial issue. Therefore, the government is unwilling to take on the political cost of raising bread prices.