The hot topic in Iranian media nowadays is not Israel or the US. It is chicken. Chicken and its soaring price.

The price of chicken has jumped by more than 80 per cent in the last few months and it seems chicken prices will continue to soar out of people's reach. Shoppers have had to dish out 70,000 rials (US $5.60) for a kilogram of chicken, around three times last year's price.

Against a backdrop of lengthening food queues, Esmail Ahmadi-Moghaddam, the head of Iran's law enforcement forces, has warned that films depicting scenes of chicken dinners could provoke the underprivileged classes to attack the rich.

Mana Neyestani, Mardomak

As a reaction to Ahmadi-Moghaddam's words,Mana Neyestani, a leading Iranian cartoonist, published a cartoon on “chicken story” (above). She writes:

“How many times have I told you not to watch a film with chicken in it.”

People have to wait for hours in long queues to get a chicken. Here is a video, from YouTube, claiming a rush to get chicken:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=zXcTsg8tvvs

Iran Azad has also published the photos of Iranian crowds in front of shops to buy chicken. The blogger says this way of distributing chicken to people who have waited for hours in long queues is a way to humiliate Iranian people.

Osta Morad writes

I went to buy a chicken on Thursday. I was asked by seller to register my name to get it on Saturday. I was told come early because it will be gone fast.