Many Iranians are bracing for a return to all-out war as elections in Israel and the United States heighten uncertainty CAIRO -- Many Iranians are bracing for a return to all-out war as Israeli and U.S. leaders sharpen their threats ahead of elections in both countries in the coming days, and as Iran’s leaders remain defiant despite mounting pressure. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces a close vote Tuesday, says Iran's leadership must be eliminated. President Donald Trump vows to “finish the job” in Iran eight months after the war began, as a third aircraft carrier and thousands of troops make their way to the region.
Some fear attacks just after the U.S. midterms on Nov. 3. The spoke with Tehran residents who described growing anxiety. Some were preparing to leave the capital.
Iran's president has accused the U.S. of disrupting negotiations that have shown little sign of progress for months. Fereshteh Hajipour, 35, the mother of a toddler, said she was stockpiling over-the-counter medicines and food for fear of a “possible war and bigger bombs.” Iran's leadership believes that Trump likely will order new strikes regardless of the results in the midterm elections, and “they are planning for the scenarios so they can take remedial measures,” said a former government official and foreign policy professor at the University of Tehran, Sasan Karimi. Iran has again threatened U.S. military bases and allies in the Middle East, and has warned that it could attack new targets, including undersea data cables that snake through the Strait of Hormuz.
This month has seen the highest number of reported attacks on commercial ships transiting the strait since the war’s opening weeks in March. Meanwhile, a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports has restricted oil exports on which Iran's government depends, increasing the economic pain as each side tries to outlast the other. Trucks have piled up at borders as Iran's trade shifts to overland.
The blockade has caused medicine shortages in Iran, though there is no sign of shortages of food or other essential goods. Iranians have seen livelihoods and purchasing power crumble as their currency’s value has reached record lows, losing much of its value in the past year. Iranian officials have accused the U.S. of aiming to foment unrest.
President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran faces “a dangerous turning point” as the government seeks to manage growing economic problems and find consensus within the Islamic Republic’s fractious power structure. Memories are fresh of the nationwide protests sparked by economic pressures that led to a deadly crackdown weeks before the war. Even for middle-class Iranians, affording basic groceries has become difficult.
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