Iran’s economy, long struggling under heavy sanctions, has been hit hard by the war. Many workers have lost their jobs, while a government-imposed internet blackout also disrupted business for much of the war.
Tehran has made the unfreezing of its assets a key demand in talks, hoping for relief months after unrest that was fueled in part by economic dissatisfaction.
“I’m not hopeful it will lead to a lasting peace,” Kaveh Ahmadi, who lives between Tehran and northern Iran and works in industrial photography, said in a separate interview with NBC News on Monday.
Ahmadi, a 43-year-old father of one, has spent much of his time with his family in the north during the war to escape the sound of “nonstop bombings.”
Despite his skepticism, he said he hoped a deal could at least help the Iranian economy after months of rising prices for consumers.
“Everything has gone up, so maybe a peace deal, even short-term, can at least stabilize prices,” he said.
Abdullah Mohammadi, another resident of Tehran, said he was also “not optimistic” about the prospects of the deal.
The U.S., he told The Associated Press news agency, has “proven in the past” that it is “not fully committed” to deals, he said, referencing Trump’s withdrawal from the landmark 2015 Iranian nuclear deal.
Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at the London-based think tank Chatham House, said Iranians were right to be cautious.
As it stands, Vakil emphasized in a phone interview Monday morning, the framework deal exists as a memorandum of understanding, or MOU, with a peace agreement yet to be signed.
“It’s the beginning of maybe a process that will get us a final deal, but I think we should be quite cautious,” she said. “We should be prepared for hiccups.”
The MOU, which includes 14 points, according to the Iranian state-affiliated Mehr News, leaves some key issues unresolved, setting up the stage for future tensions.
Among those potential issues are Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, a key sticking point in talks.
Another is Lebanon, a priority for Tehran.
