Lyse Doucet: Under fragile ceasefire, Iranians wonder if US deal can be done

Lyse Doucet: Under Fragile Ceasefire, Iranians Question US Deal Prospects

Spring has begun to thaw the frozen landscapes of northwestern Iran, where almond trees are bursting into blossom along the snow-draped ridges. Amid this seasonal shift, a tenuous truce has allowed roads to see more traffic, drawing people back to the country after months of turmoil. At a Turkish border crossing, a grey-haired financier recounted his time in Turkey, having spent a month with his son. “The strikes in my northern city mainly targeted military sites,” he said, as we waited in the departure hall. “Homes and civilian areas were spared,” he added, reflecting on five weeks of devastating conflict, paused by a two-week ceasefire set to expire soon.

Further along the journey, an older woman in a headscarf expressed concern. “I’m a bit scared,” she said, her face etched with worry. She lamented the toll on young Iranians, from the destruction of residential areas by airstrikes to the lingering threats from Basij paramilitary forces. “It’s all in God’s hands,” she whispered, gazing upward. Others, however, focused on immediate challenges. “The ceasefire won’t last,” declared a young woman in a bright red puffer jacket. “Iran won’t surrender control of the Strait of Hormuz.”

As we navigated through Turkish customs and entered Iran, a man nearby remarked on the current calm. “Trump will never leave Iran alone; he wants to swallow us!” he said, echoing the president’s warnings. The 12-hour drive to Tehran, the only route since airports remain closed, was punctuated by the sight of bridges spanning the roads, gleaming in the spring sun. Trump had intensified his rhetoric earlier in the week, stating to Fox Business News that “we could destroy every bridge in Iran in one hour” alongside all power plants, though he emphasized “we don’t want to do that.”

The collapse of the main bridge connecting Tabriz to Tehran via Zanjan added to the disruptions. Missiles had targeted it last week, forcing vehicles onto winding rural roads. This destruction underscored the focus on civilian infrastructure, a subject now drawing sharp criticism from legal experts. They warn of breaches in international humanitarian law and the potential for war crimes, despite US and Israeli claims that strikes were limited to military sites. A flattened barracks of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stood as a stark symbol near Tabriz, its ruined pillars draped with a massive flag.

While the immediate threat looms, Iran’s theocracy grapples with broader geopolitical goals. New banners line highways, displaying portraits of the nation’s three supreme leaders since the 1979 revolution: Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—whose life was endangered in the war’s opening days on February 28—and his son Mojtaba Khamenei, who has been absent from public view since a missile attack. Rumors suggest he is involved in shaping a new political and security strategy, emerging from the war’s impact and the historic efforts to mend relations over the nuclear program, as well as the recent issue of the Strait of Hormuz.

“We could take out every one of their bridges in one hour,” said Trump during an interview with Fox Business News.

At a roadside restaurant, a centuries-old caravanserai with vaulted ceilings and stained-glass windows, the memory of Trump’s apocalyptic warning on April 7 resurfaced. He had declared, “A whole civilisation will die tonight,” a statement that now seems ironic as Iran’s rich heritage is visible in every stop. Some women wear veils, while others, of all ages, choose to go bare-headed—a nod to the Woman Life Freedom protests of 2022-2023. Despite this, strict modesty rules and harsh penalties remain in place, yet women refuse to reverse the progress made.