Post #5218

📰 Iran Waits for Trump’s War in a Country Too Broke to Prepare On paper, Iran looks calm: shops in Tehran are stocked, there are no visible shortages of food, fuel, or water, schools and offices are still open, and the subway runs on time. Underneath, 90 million people are stuck between push‑notifications about “last chance” Geneva talks and the very real possibility of U.S. airstrikes in a country that already endured a 12‑day war with Israel last year. Some pack go‑bags and plan escape routes to villages or the Caspian coast; others say they can’t even afford two days of supplies, never mind two weeks. ​ The state’s contingency plan is basically vibes. Tehran’s mayor has floated turning metro stations and underground parking lots into shelters, while admitting only “minimum” steps have been taken, and dismissing detailed preparation as premature because authorities “don’t want to cause panic.” Experts warn those spaces lack ventilation, heating, and sanitation; there is no public sign any of that is being fixed. Online, activists circulate checklists — three liters of water per person per day, canned food, flashlights, power banks — and get flooded with replies from people who can’t afford meat or eggs, let alone stockpiles. Inflation is around 60% compared with last year, the rial keeps hitting new lows, and many families are already choosing between rent and food. ​ Everyone expects the government to pull the internet plug again. During last June’s war and last month’s protests, authorities repeatedly shut down mobile data and messaging; now Iranians swap tips on emergency meeting points and which VPN subscriptions might survive the next blackout. People follow every leak about Trump’s “limited strike” vs “regime change” talk, but say they can’t make sense of his shifting threats or timing. In the south, the Revolutionary Guards stage drills for cameras; in the capital, an artist adds a VPN to her emergency kit and a startup worker describes the feeling of being trapped while two distant leaders argue over a house they’re prepared to burn down with everyone still inside. ​ The slogan Iranian officials like to use is “no war, no peace,” as if it were a kind of stability. On the ground it looks more like “no future, no plan”: too poor to prepare, too censored to trust, and too exposed to do anything but wait to find out whether they’re going to be statistics in a U.S.–Iran bargaining session that was never about them in the first place. ​ #Iran#war#Trump#Tehran#economy#fakePeace 📱American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events 🇺🇸