The signing of the Iran nuclear deal in 2015 had fueled hopes for better days in Iran. With the approach of the American presidential election, on November 3, all that remains of these hopes is bitterness and sometimes exile. Two years ago, Nassir (a pseudonym) was at the height of his success: his hostel in Tehran was so famous among foreign tourists that it sold out, sometimes three months in advance. The 32-year-old Iranian regularly organized debates, film screenings and concerts there, attended by both travelers and locals. A real place of exchange and diversity.
The policy of “Maximum pressure” of US President Donald Trump against Tehran, combined with the increasingly authoritarian management of the Iranian leadership, have ended this parenthesis of opening in Iran. After months of reflection, Nassir in May fired all of his employees and terminated the lease. “Here, it’s over for people like me », He slips. This doctor in sociology knows that, henceforth, his life is elsewhere. He is looking for a post-doctorate in Europe or Canada.
Two weeks after the signing of the nuclear deal, Nassir left his university in the United States to return to live in his native country. According to an Iranian sociologist, who prefers to remain anonymous, it is far from being an isolated case. “With the nuclear deal, there has been a wave of hope, especially among the educated middle class, which longs for change. The latter believed that the presence of the West would prevent Tehran from undermining civil society and arresting so many human rights activists. “
“It finished us”
Everything was going so well for Nassir that he managed to repay, in eight months, the debt of 35,000 euros contracted with his father. He even extended his hotel by renting an adjoining building. Mr. Trump’s arrival at the White House in 2016 brought this grace period to a halt. In May 2018, the latter announced the unilateral exit of the United States from the nuclear agreement, a legacy of his predecessor Barack Obama. US sanctions were reinstated in August. Then, “The real blow of the club”, according to Nassir, was worn in November 2019.
The demonstrations which erupted the day after President Hassan Rouhani’s announcement of the increase in the price of gasoline were bloodily suppressed. The regime shut down the Internet across the country for ten days. Nassir’s youth hostel quickly emptied. The Rouhani government has never expressed regret for this fierce repression – which has left at least 304 dead, according to the organization Amnesty International -, aligning itself with the hard wing of the regime.
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