Citizens voice anger, distrust over possible US-Iran deal

As speculation over renewed diplomacy between Tehran and Washington intensifies, several citizens described the prospect of a deal not as a path toward stability but as another political arrangement reached at the expense of ordinary Iranians.

“We no longer have hope in Trump… we will finish the job ourselves,” one citizen wrote. Another added: “Trump’s decisions should not matter to us. We ourselves must bring down the Islamic Republic from inside the country.”

The messages come amid continued economic pressure inside Iran, where inflation, unemployment and political repression remain key public grievances.

US President Donald Trump said an agreement involving the United States, Iran and several other countries had been “largely negotiated” and was awaiting finalization.

Opposition to ceasefire, negotiations

Some viewers voiced direct opposition to any temporary ceasefire or agreement involving the Islamic Republic.

“We the people of Iran do not want a 60-day ceasefire or agreement,” one citizen wrote. Another described life in Iran as “impossible” and said they were waiting for “another call from the prince,” referring to exiled opposition figure Reza Pahlavi.

Several messages also urged US President Donald Trump not to strike a deal with Tehran, arguing that the Islamic Republic has systematically deprived citizens of the ability to organize or protest freely over the past decades.

100%

The comments reflected broader skepticism that outside governments would prioritize the demands of Iranian citizens over regional security concerns or diplomatic interests.

Economic pressure and public exhaustion

Economic hardship emerged as another dominant theme in the messages.

“We are being crushed under inflation,” one citizen wrote, warning that any agreement with the Islamic Republic would amount to “the biggest betrayal” of Iranians.

Others described mounting psychological exhaustion after years of overlapping crises, including economic decline, executions, political crackdowns and regional conflict.

“Every day we struggle with the stress of execution news, depression, poverty and countless other hardships,” one viewer wrote. Another added: “The news about a deal shows that we the people have become victims of politics.”

The accounts describe growing frustration over restricted access to subsidized gasoline and arbitrary limits imposed by operators, leaving many motorists dependent on costly unofficial sales.

“One day there’s quota left on your card, the next day it says your quota is finished,” one citizen said. “They even steal the few drops of gasoline they give people.”

Iran uses a subsidized fuel quota system controlled through electronic fuel cards. Every private vehicle receives a monthly gasoline allocation at discounted prices, while extra consumption is charged at higher rates.

Under Iran’s latest pricing system introduced in late 2025, the first 60 liters of gasoline each month cost 15,000 rials per liter (about $0.008), the next 100 liters cost 30,000 rials ($0.017), and any amount above 160 liters costs 50,000 rials ($0.028).

Despite heavy fuel subsidies, Iran’s minimum monthly wage is now worth less than $90 because of inflation and the sharp decline of the rial.

• 

  Iran begins pilot sales of imported gasoline at market price

Another driver said he could not use his personal fuel card on Wednesday because his monthly allocation had already run out. The station operator, he said, agreed to provide a fuel card only if payment was handed directly to him, and even then limited sales to 15 liters at 70,000 rials ($0.038) per liter.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said in late April that the country faced “some shortages” in sectors including energy and fuel.

On May 9, Esmail Saghab Esfahani, vice president and head of Iran’s Strategic Energy Policy and Management Organization, said damage during the war had affected parts of the country’s gas and fuel infrastructure and disrupted some gasoline production capacity.

He said Iran had “no choice but to conserve” fuel consumption for at least the next 18 to 24 months.

But Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said on April 29 there were no concerns over fuel supply or distribution.

100%

Black market prices rise

A resident of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran said drivers often wait more than an hour at gas stations, even with personal fuel cards, while gasoline is “widely available” on the black market at 150,000 rials, about $0.08, per liter.

In Zahedan, in southeastern Iran, one resident said gasoline shortages and tighter controls had accelerated illegal fuel sales.

“Everything has been left without oversight,” the resident said. “Sometimes 20 liters of gasoline is sold on the street for 10 million rials ($5.5).”

One driver from Isfahan said operators demanded between 1 million rials ($0.55) and 4 million rials ($2.22) to provide access to only 15 liters.

• 

  Iran officially rolls out higher gas price under new three-tier system

Citizens also described growing congestion at gas stations nationwide, with drivers saying some stations on major routes had limited purchases to 15 liters.

A resident of Sistan and Baluchestan said 70 liters of gasoline now costs around 50 million rials, about $28, while many villagers must drive hundreds of kilometers to reach hospitals or provincial centers.

For many Iranians, the shortages have become less a matter of conservation than another daily pressure in an increasingly strained economy.

Iranians have described worsening economic conditions in messages sent to Iran International, with several pointing to sharp rises in medicine prices and shortages of basic drugs.

One person said they had managed to connect to the internet for the first time since about two months ago and found that Liskantin syrup, used for epilepsy and seizures, had risen from 9 million rials, about $5, last year to 42 million rials, about $23, and was still difficult to find.

Another message said the price of a sheet of B6 and B12 vitamins had reached 13 million rials, about $7, putting it beyond the reach of many patients.

A pharmacy worker in Shahr-e Qods said one father who came to buy medicine for his child did not have enough money and tried to use a government electronic voucher, but could not. “He was looking for a way to sell it so he could buy the medicine,” the worker said.

“I worked at a petrochemical company and got fired. Since we can no longer afford rent, my wife, two children and I have moved back into my parents’ house,” one citizen told Iran International.

Another, a woman supporting her household alone, said she was forced to share her home after losing her job at a restaurant.

“I am the head of my household and after losing my job at a restaurant, I had no choice but to get a roommate to reduce rent and living costs while raising my teenage child,” she told Iran International.

Shargh newspaper reported on Thursday that more tenants in Tehran and other large cities are turning to shared housing, returning to parents’ homes or leaving the capital altogether as rent and living costs climb.

The newspaper cited residents who said they were searching for roommates for the first time after years of living independently, while others described plans to move back with family members or relocate to smaller cities after losing income.

• 

  Iran's Housing Crisis Deepens As Inflation Soars

A 45-year-old woman who had lived alone in central Tehran for two decades told Shargh she was considering taking in roommates because she could no longer afford rent on her own.

“More than two decades passed living alone and now I have to change my standards,” she told the newspaper. “Paying 400 million rials ($220) in rent in Tehran’s Bahar neighborhood is impossible for me.”

Another resident said he and his brother were looking for a third housemate after his workplace suspended operations and stopped paying salaries.

100%

Reverse migration from Tehran

Shargh said some residents were preparing to leave Tehran entirely after years in the capital, describing what it called a wave of reverse migration driven by economic hardship and shrinking work opportunities.

One editor told the newspaper she was returning to her hometown Kashan in her mid-40s after more than two decades in Tehran because rising costs and declining work in publishing left her unable to continue living independently.

“I thought I would return to Kashan after retirement, not in middle age because I can no longer survive economically in Tehran,” she told Shargh.

• 

  War-hit homeowners feel abandoned as Iran’s reconstruction aid fades

The report also pointed to signs of tighter housing supply, citing online property listings and real estate agents who said available rental units had declined while demand increased, particularly after displacement linked to the conflict with Israel.

Erosion of independence

Sociologist Abdolvahab Shahlibar told Shargh that shared housing in Iran is increasingly a financial necessity rather than a lifestyle choice.

“Efforts to improve quality of life have in many cases been replaced by efforts to preserve basic survival,” Shahlibar told the newspaper, warning that being forced to return to parents’ homes or abandon independent living could reshape social relationships and personal identity.

On Tuesday night, Iran’s Seismological Center said a 4.6-magnitude quake struck near Pardis, east of Tehran, at a depth of 10 kilometers, with no immediate reports of casualties or major damage. A series of nine smaller earthquakes also struck the area overnight.

“This is what life is like for us inside Iran: an earthquake happens and my mother says, ‘I wish it were bombing instead.’ The result of 47 years of Islamic rule,” one message sent to Iran International said.

The reactions came against the backdrop of a fragile ceasefire after more than two months of war that began on February 28 with a US-Israeli bombing campaign on Iran.

Donald Trump said Monday that the ceasefire with Iran was “on life support” after rejecting Tehran’s response to a US proposal aimed at ending the war.

The ceasefire has been in place since April 7, but Trump has repeatedly threatened to end it if Iran failed to reach an agreement with Washington.

One message captured the bitter humor with which some residents viewed the quake amid fears of renewed conflict, suggesting divine intervention had stepped in where Trump had not.

“Trump dragged this out so much that God stepped in,” the message said.

Several residents said they initially mistook the shaking for renewed strikes.

“The earthquake at 11:40 p.m. on Tuesday in Tehran was really terrifying. For a few seconds, we thought the attacks had started again,” one Tehran resident said.

Another resident in eastern Tehran’s Tehranpars district said the tremor felt like a nearby missile strike.

“We are in eastern Tehran, in Tehranpars. Tuesday night’s earthquake shook and rattled our house so badly that we thought a missile had hit next to our home,” the resident said.

Several messages described the tremors as reviving memories of the recent war, when residents had become used to distinguishing between air defense fire, missiles, drones and explosions.

“Around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, an earthquake was felt in Tehran, but the one that came at 11:45 p.m. was felt very strongly. The whole house shook and the chandeliers rattled. It felt like the experience we had during those 40 days of war,” one message said.

Another resident said the earthquake and the sound of a storm afterward produced conflicting emotions.

“When the earthquake happened and then the sound of the storm afterward, we thought we were under attack again. We felt fear and relief at the same time,” the resident said.

In Pardis, east of Tehran, residents reported repeated tremors through the night.

“In Pardis, from 8 p.m. until 1 a.m., there were three relatively strong earthquakes. People rushed into the streets in fear and gas stations became crowded,” one message said.

One resident said a sudden dust storm added to the confusion.

“We were sitting at home, the weather was nice, and suddenly the air became extremely dusty and the sky filled with dirt and dust. Even though the war experience has taught us to distinguish between air defense fire, missiles and drones — or judge from the sound and shaking how close an explosion is — when the earthquake happened, for a few seconds we could not tell whether it was an attack or something else,” the resident said.

Other messages reflected mistrust and speculation about whether the tremors were linked to underground missile activity or even a possible nuclear test near Parchin.

“Could the earthquake have been caused by the criminals’ underground missile activities? Especially considering Tehran naturally sits on a fault line and their underground activities were exposed during the war,” one person said.

Another message said there was speculation online that the quake’s epicenter near Parchin meant Iran may have carried out a nuclear test rather than experienced a natural earthquake.

One message accused state television of failing to quickly cover the earthquake because authorities feared people would pour into the streets.

“State TV was not covering the earthquake because they were afraid people would pour into the streets. Human lives are so worthless to them as long as they can stay in power a little longer,” the message said.