“GONE NUMB”
The sharp escalation sent crude prices surging as hopes dimmed on any imminent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial waterway for oil and gas transit which has been effectively shut by Iran.
Irans were also already feeling the strain of weeks of uncertainty.
“I really have gone numb,” fitness trainer Elaheh from Ahvaz told AFP.
“Daily life? It’s a joke. Everything is horrible. We only try to survive,” the 32-year-old added, pointing to rising prices.
There were some weekend signs of ongoing diplomatic efforts, with Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visiting Tehran.
Naqvi said upon his arrival Saturday that he would deliver a “special letter” from Pakistan’s army chief to Iran’s supreme leader, as well as a message from the prime minister, according to Iranian state television.
Pakistani military leader Syed Asim Munir has played a key role in mediating between Iran and the US following an initial round of direct negotiations in Islamabad.
Mohsen Rezaei, military adviser to Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, had told CNN negotiations with the United States “are at a deadlock, and Trump must break this deadlock”, calling for the release of some US$24 billion in frozen Iranian assets.
But Trump said he would not unfreeze Iranian assets before reaching an initial agreement with Tehran, telling NBC on Sunday: “If they behave, if they do a good job, we start talking”.