Iran's official inflation rate has almost doubled over the past year as prices are driven up by budget reforms, a weak currency and international sanctions, according to new data which could add to criticism of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Inflation in urban areas was 21.5 percent for the last Iranian year which ended on March 19, the central bank said in a statement on Sunday. Prices of goods and services rose 12.4 percent during the preceding year, according to figures previously released by the bank.
During the final month of last year, when consumer demand related to year-end celebrations added to upward pressure on inflation, prices jumped 3.4 percent from the previous month.
Ahmadinejad's economic management is being attacked by some lawmakers and last month he was summoned to parliament for an unprecedented interrogation on his policies.
Many Iranians believe real inflation is much higher than the official rate, and some clerics and lawmakers have accused the government of providing incorrect figures.
Inflation has been rising relentlessly from a low of 8.8 percent in August 2010. The main cause has been the government's decision to begin phasing out subsidies on food and fuel in December 2010, in order to reduce wasteful consumption and cut state spending.
But prices have also been hit, indirectly, by a tightening of international sanctions over Iran's disputed nuclear programme. The sanctions, led by Washington and Europe, have frozen Iran out of much of the global trading system in the last several months, forcing importers to use more expensive channels to obtain food and intermediate and consumer goods.
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