Little red goldfish swimming in bags and plates of bright green wheat sprouts tied with ribbons usually line Tehran’s streets in the run-up to Persian new year as vendors sell the symbols of spring and renewal to families rushing to prepare for Iran’s biggest annual celebration.
But this year there are no goldfish or sabzeh sprouts in sight. Roads that would normally be crammed with traffic and frantic last-minute shoppers ahead of the Nowruz festival are quieter as many residents hunker down with family while US and Israeli missiles pound the city for a third week.
“We will stay at home this celebration,” said Sara, 55, whom the FT is identifying by a pseudonym, of her family of three. “We’ve stayed at home during this war, watching a lot of TV and having arguments about the future of the war and Iran.”