Complaints about rising chicken prices during the holy month of Ramadan mark the first widespread disquiet about president Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad, just two months after he became Iran's president.

While Mr Ahmadi-Nejad remains popular, some who voted for him are asking when he will deliver on election promises to reduce unemployment of 12 per cent and distribute "oil money to the people's sofrehs [dining cloths]". High oil prices are a double-edged sword for Mr Ahmadi-Nejad, swelling government coffers, but increasing public expectations. "Oil is over $50 a barrel ... so where's the money going?" asks a 40-year-old manual worker in Tehran.