Three months after the start of the war in Iran, the mood in the country is gloomy. Hopes for regime change have evaporated, and pressure on the people has intensified. The economic crisis is also deepening.
"We were at war and we suffered. We will not hand over our uranium", someone shouts from the crowd gathered in Tehran. This scene from the daily demonstrations in the Iranian capital is indicative: even the disputed Iranian uranium reserves in negotiations with the United States seem to have become a matter of honor.
Although they are a minority, the regime's supporters dominate the public space. And those who are critical of the regime are increasingly desperate and withdrawing, writes the German public broadcaster ARD. Such is the former nurse Marmar. "Nobody in the world cares about our problems. That's why I locked myself in my house", she says.
Insecurity and gloomy prospects
Many share these feelings. Tailor Mehdi tells ARD how his life has changed: he used to go on mountain hikes with friends, play the daf (a traditional Persian percussion instrument, ed.). But he has not done any of that for a long time. "We used to have fun together and then I played", he says. The economic decline - that of the country and his personal financial problems - weighs on him the most. He says that he has almost no orders anymore. "Who needs a tailor when life is falling apart?".
Ali is in the same situation, ARD reports. The 50-year-old man runs a hair salon, but clients are hardly coming in anymore. Economically, things have gotten much worse, he says. "We are being squeezed by constantly rising prices. All materials, appliances, etc. are becoming more and more expensive. And the future is uncertain."
Hardly anyone will dare to protest
The prices of electricity, gas and petrol have hardly changed - this is probably an attempt by the regime to make some concessions to the people. Rising fuel prices have been a cause for protests in Iran in the past, ARD recalls. But at the moment, hardly anyone would dare to protest - most people are scared. There are reports of executions almost daily, mostly of criminals, but also of opponents of the regime.
For many, however, the most severe feeling is the feeling of uncertainty. "There is neither war nor peace", says grocery merchant Reza. No one knows what will happen tomorrow.
No more hope for regime change
The hope for regime change, which was still alive at the beginning of the war in late February, has long since given way to the hope of at least a somewhat more normal life. But even that is no longer in sight, Reza tells ARD: "The economic situation is very bleak. We don't know what we will do in the future."
Something is happening, though: President Masoud Pezeshkian has lifted the internet blockade. This is important for many people on a personal level, but also for everyone who works via the internet. But there are also opponents of the launch of the global network, and it is not ruled out that it will be canceled through legal means, notes the German public media.