'They simply lied': Iranians devastated as US signs with regime they hoped would fall

After more than 100 days of war in Iran and as the ink dries on the memorandum of understanding signed between Washington and Tehran, Iranians are voicing their "disappointment" with the deal.

In voice notes shared with the ABC, people in Iran told us life in the country had become far worse since the war began.

Sahar, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, lives in Tehran and has been left feeling "shattered" by the events of the past few months.

"The entire nation is depressed and distressed," she said.

The US and Israel launched a war on Iran on February 28, killing the country's then-supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and unleashing a months-long conflict that would result in countless deaths, the strangling of global shipping and economic pain across the world.

Now that the United States and Iran have signed a deal to cease hostilities, Iranians are left wondering "where do we stand?"

"What about the people of Iran? Where do we fit into this agreement?"

Sahar said.

"Not a single word has been said about us, the suffering people of Iran."

For thousands of Iranians who took part in anti-regime protests, the interim deal now officially signed by both parties has "destroyed" any hope of change.

"Before this agreement, people genuinely believed that the Iranian people would be freed and that the regime would be changed," Sahar said.

"The little hope we had left is shattered."

Trump 'backed down'

In the hours after the Western attacks on Iran began in late February, US President Donald Trump posted an 8-minute video to social media, in which he said the US had undertaken operation Epic Fury to end the Iranian "threat" of a nuclear weapon. He also called for regime change in Tehran.

"Now is the time to seize control of your destiny and to unleash the prosperous and glorious future that is close within your reach," he said, addressing the Iranian people.

The issue of Iran's nuclear capabilities has been pushed down the road for now, to be dealt with during the 60 days of negotiations aimed at securing a final peace agreement.

But according to the US president, the issue of regime change has already been dealt with.

At a press conference at the G7 summit in France he said Iran had "a new group of leaders" who he thought were "very smart", even suggesting "they are far less radicalised".

That is at odds with expert commentary offered by analysts and from people oppressed by the regime itself.

Yalda, whose name has also been changed, and who runs her own business in Tehran, she said she believed the war was "supposed to lead to regime change".

"We endured all this war, the psychological strain, the economic hardship, and the damage it inflicted on our businesses, all because we had one hope, that it would lead to a regime change," she said.

The 24-year-old said the lack of change now felt like "betrayal".

At the height of anti-government protests in Iran this year, Mr Trump gave those daring to rise up hope.

"Help is on its way," he had said in a Truth Social post.

"KEEP PROTESTING — TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price."

Sahar said: "We believed the promises."

"[Donald Trump] keeps claiming that the regime has changed, that the new team are good people … that is all nonsense."

Professor of Middle East studies at Deakin University Shahram Akbarzadeh said "there were talks of regime change" at the start of the war.

"Now, none of that seems to be on the table," he said.

Sahar believes the US was dishonest.

"They only lied. They simply lied," she said.

For Fahimeh, a 46-year-old anti-regime protester based in Tehran, whose name has also been changed, Mr Trump simply "backed down".

"The country has now fallen completely into the hands of the IRGC," she added, referencing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an elite branch of Iran's military.

"He thought this would be another Afghanistan or Venezuela."

But according to Professor Akbarzadeh: "The fact that Iran has not collapsed, the fact that the march of the US military has not forced Iran to surrender, is seen to be a victory by the Iranians [who are in charge]."

"Donald Trump will obviously see it as a victory, that's what he does," he said.

But, he said, it was Iran that entered the next phase of negotiations "from a position of strength".

'Choking ordinary people'

There are several clauses in the 14-point deal that refer to Iran either receiving money, in the form of unfreezing of assets or as rebuilding funds, as well as having the ability to raise money through sanctions relief.

But Iranians who spoke to the ABC said they believed that money would not reach ordinary citizens.

"Where does the oil money go? Does it end up on the tables of ordinary people? No," Yalda said.

Fahimeh agreed, saying the only change the war had brought the people of Iran was "soaring prices".

"I do not even know what word to use for the crisis that has gripped Iran's economy and is choking ordinary people,"

she said.

Along with high prices, Iranians have also been dealing with impacts to essential services such as hospitals.

"Do you know how many Iranians died in hospitals because medicines could not get through after the Strait of Hormuz was closed?" Yalda said.

During the fragile ceasefire before the agreement was signed, a doctor in Iran, who we will refer to as Doctor Rahim, had shared stories about the difficulties he was facing in caring for people.

In an emotional conversation with fellow Iranians on the social app Clubhouse, the general practitioner said people in Iran now "dream to die peacefully" and not "under torture" or with bullets.

"A patient came begging me to recommend a medicine that would allow him to die peacefully," he said.

The 45-year-old doctor said he blamed his parents for giving him morals and values: "If they had taught me even a little corruption, maybe I could have hoped that if this regime survives, I could join them too and carry on with my life."

'Abandoned and forgotten'

Among the people the ABC spoke to, there is fear that once the agreement is made, the regime will again turn its attention to the women of Iran.

They said the IRGC had already started tightening its enforcement of compulsory hijab-wearing on the Tehran metro.

"More than anything else, these events have left deep scars and broken [people's] spirit," Fahimeh said.

Sahar said she felt "abandoned" by the US administration and by Mr Trump.

"They simply reached an agreement for the sake of their own interests," she said.

Fahimeh said: "He accomplished nothing. Absolutely nothing. He only safeguarded the US interest."

"He came for uranium. He came for money. That's all."

Sahar said she believed crackdowns on dissent were again increasing, including executions and arrests.

Iran executed at least 1,639 people last year, according to a report by Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty (EPCM).

As the 60 days of negotiations kick off, there are several points still under discussion, including Iran's nuclear program.

The United States and the IRGC have both labelled this deal as a victory, but for Iranians who hoped for real change, it is a devastating loss.

"We, the unfortunate people of Iran, remain captives, abandoned and forgotten," Sahar said.

"No-one, absolutely no-one, cares about [us]."