Many residents in Tehran say U.S. sanctions have contributed to inflation and shortages of food. (Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images)Iranians have been growing increasingly anxious amid threats of military action by the Trump administration but say they are already struggling with daily life in a war economy regardless of whether there’s a war. Many Iranians consider themselves to be on a war footing, thanks to an economy battered by a year of U.S. sanctions that have contributed to inflation and shortages of medicine and other vital goods — without any sense that relief is coming anytime soon. “People around me are not particularly concerned with a possibility of a military war, but are very pessimistic about the economic situation,” said Elham, 35. Whenever rumors spread that an essential item is disappearing, Iranians make a wild dash to the markets.

Source: Washington Post May 31, 2019 20:48 UTC