On October 17, Budget and Planning Organization chief Hamid Pourmohammadi said verification had begun for 44 million people identified as the initial target group for increased electronic food credits, with more applicants to be assessed later, Tasnim reported. That is roughly half of Iran's population.

A day earlier, the IRGC staged its "Ba'ath" exercise, claiming to distribute more than 400,000 livelihood packages and 700 dowry sets. Tasnim framed it as relief during "economic war." The choice of the IRGC, the institution at the center of internal repression, as the face of social welfare is deliberate. It presents the security apparatus as caretaker while doing little to reverse the decline in purchasing power.

The strain reaches the armed forces too. When parliament's National Security Committee questioned defense minister nominee Mehrdad Akhlaghi on October 17, discussion covered missiles, drones and radar, but also housing, salaries and livelihood support for personnel, Mehr reported. Committee spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said Iran remains "in the middle of war."

When half the population needs screening for food aid and the armed forces' own pay is a parliamentary concern, the regime's claims of a "resilient" economy are contradicted by its own agencies.