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FILE.- This picture, released by the Iranian government's foreign media department and distributed by the AP without changes, shows graves being prepared for the victims, mostly children, of a strike Feb. 28 on a primary school in Minab, Iran, Monday, March 2, 2026. (Iranian Foreign Media Department via AP,File)

Iranians are living between confusion and exhaustion as the country and its economy are squeezed between war and multiplying crises at home. Strikes on steel and petrochemical industries and energy infrastructure earlier in the war spurred a wave of business closures and job losses in Iran, where people now struggle to afford everyday groceries in the face of triple-digit food inflation. Many business owners are struggling to survive. The cratering economy and the threat of more war have left many people desperate for an end to the turmoil and deeply anxious about the future.

The United States has launched a second round of airstrikes on Iran and Iran has fired back at Gulf States after President Donald Trump warned that Tehran would “pay the price” for stalled negotiations. The new U.S. assault across multiple Iranian cities came Thursday as efforts to negotiate an end the war again appeared stuck, with Iran insisting it would maintain its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted global energy supplies and sent oil prices higher. Iran retaliated with strikes targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, all of which host U.S. troops. Kuwait closed its airspace in response.