Iranians struggling to survive the country’s worsening economic crisis are reportedly offering to sell their own body parts, with streets in Tehran covered in handwritten advertisements seeking buyers for kidneys, liver tissue and even testicles.
The desperate situation has given rise to an area dubbed “Kidney Street”, where walls and buildings along Farhang Hosseini Street are reportedly plastered with homemade notices offering organs for cash.
Some advertisements also list specific blood groups, including A+, A-, O+ and O-, according to Iran International.
The reports come as Iran grapples with the economic fallout of its conflict with the United States and international sanctions, leaving many residents struggling with mounting debts and the cost of living.
The Iranian rial hit a record low in September, with one British pound reportedly worth around 2.5 million rials. An estimated eight million people have also fallen into absolute poverty.
According to Iran’s ILNA news agency, some people are turning to organ sales as a way to repay debts and avoid losing their homes.
Kidneys are among the most commonly advertised body parts, while liver tissue and bone marrow are also reportedly being offered in exchange for billions of rials.
One worker has even claimed to have put his testicles up for sale.
An employee at Sadra Hospital said asking prices vary depending on the organ or blood type being offered.
Investigations along Kidney Street found that a kidney could fetch between 30 billion and 40 billion rials, equivalent to approximately £8,660 to £11,521.
The rarest blood groups could reportedly command as much as 50 billion rials, or around £14,458.
The area is located near a medical centre and a charity that supports kidney patients, making it easier for potential buyers and sellers to arrange transactions and medical procedures.
Unlike many countries, Iran does not prohibit the exchange of money for organs, allowing a regulated system of paid kidney donation to operate.
However, the reported advertisements involving other body parts highlight the extent of the financial desperation facing some residents.
Iran’s minimum monthly wage is estimated to range between 200 million and 300 million rials, equivalent to roughly £79 to £118. Experts estimate that an average household needs around one billion rials, or £395, a month to cover basic living expenses.
The economic pressure has intensified amid renewed tensions and military confrontations involving Washington and Tehran.
In August, US President Donald Trump announced what was described as “Operation Economic Outcast”, threatening severe sanctions against countries supporting the Iranian regime.
Trump also vowed an “economic D-Day” against the government.
Military tensions have since escalated, with the US carrying out further strikes on Iranian targets. Trump claimed Washington had “total control” after an attack on an Iranian air defence site on Friday, reportedly the first military raid since the US midterm elections.
Iranian state media also reported two explosions in the Suza area of Qeshm Island, a strategically important location near a major oil shipping route. The incident marked a second wave of American military action within a week, following what US forces described as defensive strikes the previous Monday.
The reports of organ sales emerged just days after Iran was revealed to have distributed iodine tablets and survival guides to prepare residents for a possible nuclear emergency.
The government also released a video explaining how people should respond to a nuclear blast, following Trump’s threats against Iran’s underground nuclear facility at Pickaxe Mountain.
Iodine tablets, which help protect the thyroid from radioactive iodine, have reportedly been distributed to people living near nuclear facilities, according to an Iranian Health Ministry official quoted by The Times.
