Life in limbo: How Iranians navigate a state of ‘no war, no peace’

In eastern Tehran, Sajjad, a young man in his twenties, stands in front of the twisted iron and shattered concrete that was once his father’s home. The ruins have been left completely untouched since the bombardment. “Who will rebuild all this?” he asks, his voice thick with grief. Recommended Stories list of 4 items end of list Sajjad’s despair captures the suspended reality of millions in the Iranian capital. A fragile truce between the United States and Iran has paused air attacks, and Pakistani-mediated talks have sent Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to Islamabad, Muscat, and Moscow in recent days. Yet on the streets of Tehran, the absence of bombing does not equate to peace. The architecture of waiting Across the city, the disparity in recovery is stark. While labourers rush to patch cracked facades and repair shattered windows on partially damaged structures, completely levelled residential blocks and official buildings remain frozen in time. While some partially damaged buildings undergo urgent repairs, completely destroyed residential blocks remain untouched as owners await international guarantees. [Al Jazeera] Mohammad, a 39-year-old architect, explains that the cost of building a single unit has multiplied in recent months. The US-imposed maritime blockade has further devalued the national currency, while damage to domestic steel companies has driven up material costs. …