Iranians striving to maintain a semblance of normal life after weeks of US and Israeli bombing targeting the regime, and a deadly crackdown on protesters in January, remain daunted by the future, as damage from airstrikes and internet blackouts take their toll.

With talks expected on extending a truce and agreeing on an end to the conflict, shops, restaurants and government offices have stayed open.

On sunny spring mornings, city parks are busy with picnicking families and young people playing sports, while others gather at street-side cafes.

But behind such peaceful scenes, Iran’s economy is in tatters and people are fearful of a new government clampdown and angry about the destructive airstrikes.

The difficulties that spurred mass unrest that led to the bloody crackdown in January look likely to worsen.

Fear of increased pressure as theocracy endures

“The war will end, but that’s when our real problems with the system begin. I’m very afraid that if the regime reaches an agreement with the United States, it will increase pressure on ordinary people,” a 37-year-old named Fariba who took part in the January unrest told Reuters by phone from Iran.

“People have not forgotten the regime’s crimes in January, and the system has not forgotten that people do not want it. They are holding back now because they don’t want to fight on a domestic front as well,” she said.

The bombing has killed thousands, according to official death tolls, including many at a school on the first day of the conflict. The figures cannot be independently verified. Israel has estimated that some 5,000 Iranian soldiers have been killed in Israeli strikes, many of them members of the internal security forces and Basij paramilitary force.

The strikes also destroyed infrastructure across the country, raising the prospect of mass job layoffs.

Iran’s revolutionary theocracy looks as entrenched as ever after surviving weeks of intense bombardment and demonstrating control over global oil........

© The Times of Israel