Ahmadi-Nejad risks grapes of wrath

Iranians no longer have to wait until winter to eat oranges and for the summer to find grapes. Markets in Tehran and other towns and cities are now saturated year-round with Chinese pears, Pakistani tangerines, French apples and Chilean pomegranates.

Even Israeli oranges were recently found on sale in Tehran and some other cities, embarrassing the government of Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad, the president, who is the source of much incendiary rhetoric against the Jewish state.

All this abundance comes at a cost. Iranian farmers and critics of Mr Ahmadi-Nejad, who is up for re-election next month, say the government has wasted windfall oil earnings and stoked an import-led boom rather than encouraging domestic food producers.