In 2014, about 500 Iranians committed suicide by taking aluminium phosphide pills, according to official statistics. This number shows a 23% increase from last year in successful suicide attempts with these pills, commonly known as "rice pills."

Iranian authorities have recently warned people about the abuse of rice pills, so called because they are widely used in rice factories and warehouses to prevent infestation and mold. They are so poisonous that just a few of them, according to physicians and chemists, would be sufficient to prevent both mold and infestation in an entire rice silo or tobacco warehouse. Aluminium phosphide pills are widely used in suicide cases in India, but in Iran, this is a relatively recent development that went unnoticed until five years ago. Today, the provinces most affected by rice pill abuse are: Tehran, Mazandaran, Lorestan, Ilam and Gilan.

Surviving the ingestion of rice pills is rare. Bahareh, a 29-year-old bank teller in the Lorestan province of Iran, surprisingly survived a rice pill suicide attempt. In an interview with Al-Monitor, she said, "Buying the pills was not much trouble. I went to a nearby herbal medicine store and asked for them. I had heard from a friend whose sister committed suicide that her family had found out, after her sister's death, that she'd bought the pills used for her suicide from this particular store. The store owner refused, but I insisted, saying that I needed them for a major infestation in my mother's house. He finally told me to return the following day, which is what I did."

Abuse of rice pills is not as widespread in Iran as it is in India. Yet, the accessibility and low price could be tempting for low-income individuals adversely affected by mental disorders or suicidal thoughts. Though illegal, some herbal medicine stores carry rice pills. Herbal medicine stores are quite plentiful and somewhat popular in Iran, particularly in smaller cities. Iranian officials have recently made more serious efforts through public announcements to warn people against rice pills by describing just how one dies after ingestion. Rice pills can be either sniffed or swallowed, with a lethal dose being greater than 4 grams. Even in doses under 4 grams, the pills are dangerous and lead to extreme pain, resulting in symptoms like a strong burning feeling inside the body and intense thirst.