"We already live in a coma, what do you want it to happen to us more?" When asked how he sees the future after Donald Trump announced on Friday (September 20th) a tougher economic crackdown on Iran, Sina *, a 30-year-old executive living in Tehran, seems disillusioned. A resignation that seems to have seized other Iranians in the capital interviewed by France 24.
"The tightening of US sanctions is not surprising - our country has been in the headlines of the world's media for months, but to tell the truth, we do not follow the news anymore. the day, "says Simine on the phone, owner of a restaurant in Tehran.
For a year, Iran has been living under the sanctions imposed by the United States. Economy slows, Iranian currency falls, record inflation of nearly 40% ... The consequences of the exit of the United States from the Iranian nuclear deal in May 2018 and the reinstatement of the economic sanctions that took place follow-up begin to weigh on the daily.
"Everything is more expensive, but my salary does not follow"
In recent months, says Simine, commodity inflation has slowed down, allowing him to lower prices of dishes on his card. "But the damage is done, I had to raise my prices for several months, some did not like and we lost some of our customers," she says.
In his sixties, Reza was one of those who participated in the Islamic Revolution. Boss of a company importing surgical and laboratory equipment, he is hit hard by the recession. His sector - the medical - is not directly targeted by the US sanctions, but he is strongly concerned by the difficulties of circulation of Iranian money abroad.
"Foreign banks are reluctant to accept transfers from Iranian banks.On time to find solutions, our suppliers block orders," says the head of business, who expects a delivery of products from China for two months. Without being able to stock up and supply its customers, Reza's company is idling. His eight employees work only part-time. "It's a domino effect, our customers are doctors who work in laboratories, they wait for our products to advance their research, the most serious of which is that it can have consequences for the health of patients."
Sina thinks he's not doing too badly. Manager in a technology company of more than 3,000 people, he saw his salary increase by 15% this year. And yet, that was not enough to counter the effects of sanctions. His rent has gone up by 30%. "I had to negotiate with my landlord to prevent a further rise," says the young asset, who was able to keep his home. Not everyone is so lucky. Relocations are common in Tehran, where middle-class families are forced to leave the capital for its suburbs, adding to the traffic jams in this metropolitan area of nearly 9 million people.
The return of the D system
For Mahsa, an employee at a travel agency, the reinstatement of the sanctions has generated additional costs. "Our rent and our food budget have increased dramatically, so our quality of life has gone down, we are going to restaurants less often and have given up our annual trip abroad because we can not go allow to buy airline tickets in dollars ", says this mother of forty years. More embarrassing, her husband, subject to epileptic seizures, must go around the city pharmacies to buy his foreign brand drugs.
Nevertheless, as the owner of a restaurant, she feels better off than the Iranians of the lower classes. "They must not only give up their hobbies, but also essential products, such as meat, milk or diapers".
Mahsa is among those who enthusiastically welcomed the signing of the Iranian nuclear deal of 2015. There followed a period of euphoria, during which like it, the middle class Iranians were able to buy phones. state-of-the-art laptops and shopping in brand new shopping malls, in which Western signs fantasized for years have been opening up. "It's over, we can not afford to hesitate between the last iPhone and the last Samsung If your phone is broken, you have no choice, you repair it. The prices are changing every day, "she says.
Leave or stay?
This return of a system D economy is reminiscent of the years of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), during which the generation of Mahsa experienced ration tickets and the scarcity of many everyday consumer goods. The war, she does not believe, despite growing tensions with the United States and Saudi Arabia. "We are convinced that a war will not take place, maybe we still have some hope in diplomacy and negotiations," she continues.
Nevertheless, Mahsa admits to thinking of leaving the country: "I have always kept away from this idea, but I am worried about the future of my daughter". Some families, who some years ago financed the education of their children abroad, had to put an end to it after the rial's vertiginous fall. Others, like Sina and his wife, decided not to have children in a country in crisis. Around Mahsa, the departures multiply towards Turkey, Cyprus or Canada. So she too begins to prospect, without knowing whether she will dare to take the plunge.
* The first names of the interviewees have been modified