Many Iranians express relief over agreement to end the war

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Many Iranians expressed relief and disbelief on June 14 after learning that their country had reached an agreement with the United States that could ultimately end the war.

The Iranian public has been in limbo for months as sporadic fighting across the Middle East threatened a shaky ceasefire that the two sides agreed on in April. On June 14, ordinary people finally received some definitive news: A deal had been reached to halt the fighting.

In interviews and on social media chat groups, Iranians expressed a range of emotions over the agreement to end a war that killed thousands and brought enormous loss with no gain for millions of others.

“So what was the point of this war? What did it bring us exactly?” Roshanak, a resident of Tehran, said by telephone. She agreed to be identified by only her first name for fear of retribution.

“Honestly, we are very happy it’s over,” she added.

Sara, a 54-year-old from Tehran who also requested partial anonymity, said in a text message that she had a hard time believing the news because she had heard a deal was close so many times – only to result in more bombs.

“Is this REAL?” she wrote. “Are they serious?”

For Iranian opposition groups and some members of the diaspora who had hoped the war would topple the Islamic republic, the agreement was both a let-down and a reality check.

Behnam Amini, a monarchist political activist in Washington who has supported the war against Iran, sharply criticised US President Donald Trump in a social media post. He said the President had shown a willingness to “whitewash the blood of thousands of Iranians” to benefit himself and his allies and family members.

In Iran, a minority within the hard-line political faction – those who ideologically favour destruction of Israel and war with the US by any means – unleashed fury at Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and General Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the lead negotiator and Speaker of Parliament.

At rallies in Tehran and other cities over the weekend, crowds of hard-liners chanted, “death to Araghchi”, and “death to anyone who compromises, be it a minister or a general”, targeting both men. On state TV, which is controlled by hard-liners, the coverage was solidly against the deal and presented the 14-point agreement as Iran surrendering to Trump.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has denounced such attacks and called for unity. In an attempt to quiet the critics, he said on June 14 that no major decision was made without close consultation and approval of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

“Today, our biggest challenge is the attempts by those try to divide our society, an issue that our enemies are closely watching,” Pezeshkian said, Iranian state media reported. “You can’t voice your personal views as demands by the larger public.” NYTIMES

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.