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People browse a market in Tehran, Iran, on June 11 (local time). / Photo via Reuters, Yonhap

Even with the agreement to end hostilities between the United States and Iran, Iranians feel that the economic suffering and political instability sparked by the war remain unchanged and are unlikely to be resolved anytime soon.

Reuters reported on June 17 (local time) based on accounts from individuals interviewed anonymously via messaging apps or met in person across various regions, including Tehran, Isfahan, and Kurdistan.

Most interviewees stated they are scraping by day to day in "survival mode" as economic conditions deteriorated under more than three months of airstrikes and naval blockades by the U.S. and Israel. Living standards continue to drop, and people described cutting back on consumption due to war-fueled skyrocketing prices with the phrase, "our dinner tables have shrunk."

"Ninety-nine percent of people are in survival mode and just getting through each day," Amir, a 34-year-old media production company owner in Isfahan, said. "No one holds onto hope anymore, and there is no vision of what the future will bring."

A 25-year-old student in Tehran lamented, "Everything has gotten worse and exponentially more expensive," adding that he and his friends can no longer even afford to meet up at cafes.

Citizens holding a neutral stance toward the Iranian government are not even confident that the truce will hold through the summer, with some believing that Israel and U.S. President Donald Trump will resume bombing Iran.

"This agreement isn't particularly exciting," a cafe owner in Tehran said via a messaging app. "I don't think the end of hostilities brought by this deal will last long either."

Some citizens predicted that economic fury would trigger a new wave of protests.

Others worried that any unrest would be met with severe political suppression, much like the government's bloody crackdown on the massive protests last January, which had erupted over public outrage regarding the economic crisis and political oppression, Reuters added. 

                                                                                                           Park Jin-sook