The impact of sanctions and war on the daily lives of citizens in Iran

Iran's leaders may show confidence in the course of their war with the United States, but life is getting more difficult for ordinary citizens who cannot afford basic necessities or rent, as the US blockade cuts off the country's financial lifeline, oil exports.

From an engineer forced to leave Tehran due to high rent, to a woman forced to quit smoking because of the price of cigarettes, and caregivers struggling to buy medicines, all aspects of daily life are affected, according to a Reuters poll.

Behnam Riyadi, a restaurant owner who was interviewed on video in Tehran, said: “I have to sell what I offer with a very small profit margin, and yet I cannot close my business because I will become unemployed.”

A sportsman cannot raise his prices because his customers cannot pay more, and most of them now only buy the necessities.

It is not clear to what extent economic pressures might push Iran toward a diplomatic settlement, as Iran in turn tightens its grip on energy exports through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing oil and gas prices up in the United States and around the world.

American, Iranian and other sources in the Middle East said last week that economic pressure was one of the motives for the recent diplomatic move. Iranian officials have repeatedly expressed their fears of unrest, and the authorities have ruthlessly suppressed signs of dissent.

In January, more than a month before the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran, the authorities killed thousands of demonstrators who had been exhausted by economic hardship accumulated over years.

But everyone Reuters spoke to said they now have enough daily worries not to think about protesting.

Hadiya, a housewife in her sixties in northern Iran, lives on her husband's civil service pension. She can barely afford the medication, or even the adult diapers that her elderly mother, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, needs.

She wanted to buy her grandson a new bag for his first day of school this fall, but the price was five or six times what she expected, so in the end she was unable to buy him anything except a notebook and pencils.

Like most Iranians Reuters spoke to by phone or messaging apps, she did not want to reveal her identity, for fear of being punished for speaking to foreign media.

A.J., a teacher who asked to use only his initials, said that he cannot always afford the medication his mother needs.

He had moved to live with his mother and siblings in a village in the north of the country, leaving Tehran after schools switched to online education due to the war, but he feared that he would not be able to afford the costs of returning if in-person teaching resumed.

In Sanandaj, the center of Kurdistan Governorate, Nazanin, a 34-year-old psychotherapist, said that she quit smoking because of its cost, after she had previously considered quitting impossible.

As for those who can afford to bypass the usual channels to obtain goods or services through the black market, they find that it has become more widespread and more expensive.

One man said he paid $200 in hard currency to a surgeon to bypass the bureaucratic procedures needed to perform surgery.

Another said that police requests for bribes had become more frequent, and that he had to pay a larger sum than before after he was stopped at a checkpoint without identity papers.

An architect, who only mentioned the first two letters of his name (A.A.), said that the wealthier Iranians are also reducing their spending, adding: “All of them have become poor compared to the lifestyle they were accustomed to.”

His car tire was punctured last week, and he is forced to drive with the spare tire for two weeks until he gets a cheap replacement, because he is no longer able to buy immediately available tires.

It is feared that Iran is heading towards a fuel shortage, which could disrupt supply chains and cause wider economic chaos.

Indeed, the war is causing significant job losses in the private sector.

M.H., a woman in Tehran who also requested that the first two letters of her name be used, said that this month she lost her job in the purchasing department of a local company, even though her one-year contract had been renewed just the day before.

It must now return the money the company paid to Iran's social security system for next year. Her family strictly set spending priorities, most notably food.

She said: “Thank God we are still able to afford the Internet, so we can stay in touch, and maybe watch a movie.”

Begin, a 40-year-old former engineer who now gives lessons to students to earn money, said he and his wife left their apartment in Tehran and moved to an area outside the capital, which he described as “more like a slum.”

The couple has exhausted their savings, and is planning to move to another city where they hope living will be less expensive.

Shop owners see the decline in living standards more clearly than others. In a video interview in Tehran, Ramin Youssevinia said that all customers of his grocery store had reduced their purchases.

He said: “They used to buy five or ten pieces from him, now they cannot buy more than two pieces. Don't even ask me about savings. "This is the reality."