Iranians exhausted and uncertain as Israel-Iran ceasefire frays

Residents of Tehran awoke on Monday anxious and drained by the prospect of full-scale war resuming, following tit-for-tat strikes between arch-foes Iran and Israel that marked the greatest threat to the fragile ceasefire thus far. Israeli strikes on Tehran on Sunday came in response to Iranian strikes on Israel, which included about 30 missiles launched since Sunday evening according to an Israeli military official. The strikes also included deadly Israeli bombardment on Beirut's southern suburbs.

Maryam, a 41-year-old accountant in Tehran's central Valiasr Square, described a pervasive 'sense of uncertainty and confusion.' She said, 'Nothing is clear. People don't know what to do, they are angry. Ultimately, it needs to be decided: are we at war or at peace?' Shortly after her remarks, Iran announced it was ceasing its strikes on Israel, but the underlying tension remains. The cycle of retaliation has left ordinary Iranians exhausted, with no clear end in sight and a deep sense of hopelessness about the prospect of renewed conflict.