Fear, anxiety grip Iranians ahead of US talks: ‘I’m scared of war starting again’

Everyday Iranians are awaiting planned negotiations between Washington and Tehran with a mixture of scepticism and outright fear, caught between a government they say does not understand peace and an American president who has threatened to destroy “a whole civilisation”.

Talks between the United States and Iran and hosted by Pakistan were hanging in the balance on Friday, but if they go ahead they could transform a temporary ceasefire in the US-Israeli campaign against the Islamic Republic into a lasting peace.

Residents of Tehran contacted by Agence France-Presse from Paris, who withheld their surnames out of concern for their safety, have mixed views on that prospect and are far from optimistic, with feelings ranging from anger to anxiety to deep disillusionment.

Amir, a 40-year-old artist, said he did not “think this temporary agreement and negotiation will last even a week”.

Iran’s repressive apparatus – including its Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of its military – is seen as having been strengthened by the war that broke out on February 28, making a deal all the more unlikely, according to Amir.

“The propaganda machine has delivered them such lies that they really believe they have won the war,” he said. “They cannot last in peace because they don’t understand peace.”