Routine returns but Iranians struggle to afford daily life (opens in new tab)

Trendy cafes in affluent northern Tehran were busy on Wednesday night, the start of Iran's weekend, with men and women sipping colourful drinks and strolling the streets. But the sense of normalcy belies the economic pains weighing on many Iranians in the capital and beyond, as Tehran and Washington face off with market-rattling blockades. "For many people, paying rent and even buying food has become difficult, and some have nothing left at all," 28-year-old Mahyar told an AFP reporter based ...