'They simply lied': Iranians devastated as US signs with regime they hoped would fall

People in Iran say they feel "betrayed" by the United States as it signs a deal with the Islamic Republic. (Reuters: Majid Asgaripour) Link copiedShareShare articleAfter more than 100 days of war in Iran and as the ink dries on the memorandum of understanding signed between Washington and Tehran, Iranians are voicing their "disappointment" with the deal. In voice notes shared with the ABC, people in Iran told us life in the country had become far worse since the war began. Sahar, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, lives in Tehran and has been left feeling "shattered" by the events of the past few months. "The entire nation is depressed and distressed," she said. The US and Israel launched a war on Iran on February 28, killing the country's then-supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and unleashing a months-long conflict that would result in countless deaths, the strangling of global shipping and economic pain across the world. Donald Trump told reporters in France he had signed the deal with Iran. Now that the United States and Iran have signed a deal to cease hostilities, Iranians are left wondering "where do we stand?" "Not a single word has been said about us, the suffering people of Iran." After being cut off from the world for more than 12 weeks, Iranians have come back online. For thousands of Iranians who took part in anti-regime protests, the interim deal now officially signed by both parties has "destroyed" any hope of change. "Before this agreement, people genuinely believed that the Iranian people would be freed and that the regime would be changed," Sahar said. "The little hope we had left is shattered." In the hours after the Western attacks on Iran began in late February, US President Donald Trump posted an 8-minute video to social media, in which he said the US had undertaken operation Epic Fury to end the Iranian "threat" of a nuclear weapon. He also called for regime change in Tehran. "Now is the time to seize control of your destiny and to unleash the prosperous and glorious future that is close within your reach," he said, addressing the Iranian people. The issue of Iran's nuclear capabilities has been pushed down the road for now, to be dealt with during the 60 days of negotiations aimed at securing a final peace agreement. But according to the US president, the issue of regime change has already been dealt with. Donald Trump has held a press conference as the United States and Tehran have signed a memorandum of understanding to end the war in Iran. At a press conference at the G7 summit in France he said Iran had "a new group of leaders" who he thought were "very smart", even suggesting "they are far less radicalised". That is at odds with expert commentary offered by analysts and from people oppressed by the regime itself. Yalda, whose name has also been changed, and who runs her own business in Tehran, she said she believed the war was "supposed to lead to regime change". "We endured all this war, the psychological strain, the economic hardship, and the damage it inflicted on our businesses, all because we had one hope, that it would lead to a regime change," she said. The 24-year-old said the lack of change now felt like "betrayal". At the height of anti-government protests in Iran this year, Mr Trump gave those daring to rise up hope. Donald Trump says he has signed the Iran memorandum as he walks out of the Palace of Versailles. "Help is on its way," he had said in a Truth Social post. "KEEP PROTESTING — TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price." "[Donald Trump] keeps claiming that the regime has changed, that the new team are good people … that is all nonsense." Professor of Middle East studies at Deakin University Shahram Akbarzadeh said "there were talks of regime change" at the start of the war. "Now, none of that seems to be on the table," he said. "They only lied. They simply lied," she said. For Fahimeh, a 46-year-old anti-regime protester based in Tehran, whose name has also been changed, Mr Trump simply "backed down". "The country has now fallen completely into the hands of the IRGC," she added, referencing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an elite branch of Iran's military. "He thought this would be another Afghanistan or Venezuela." But according to Professor Akbarzadeh: "The fact that Iran has not collapsed, the fact that the march of the US military has not forced Iran to surrender, is seen to be a victory by the Iranians [who are in charge]." "Donald Trump will obviously see it as a victory, that's what he does," he said. But, he said, it was Iran that entered the next phase of negotiations "from a position of strength". There are several clauses in the 14-point deal that refer to Iran either receiving money, in the form of unfreezing of assets or as rebuilding funds, as well as having the ability to raise money through sanctions relief. But Iranians

'They simply lied': Iranians devastated as US signs with regime they hoped would fall

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