TEHRAN, April 21, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Mobina Rasoulian, a 19-year-old student  in Tehran, has been trying to make the most of nearly two weeks without  bombing thanks to the ceasefire in the Middle East war that may have just  hours left to run. "I went out without being stressed, I roamed around, went to cafes,  restaurants, and here and there," she said of the truce that began on April  8. Babak Samiei, a 49-year-old engineer, on his way back from a yoga class, said  "I tried to get back as much as I can to the routines of my life". "In the 40 days of war we could not do anything," he added. Samiei was glum, though, about the prospects for peace, with uncertainty  surrounding a planned second round of talks in Pakistan as the end of the  ceasefire ticks closer. While he thought the ceasefire would be extended, he still expected renewed  fighting eventually. "I think at the end of the day, there will be no agreement achieved.  Probably, there will be war again." US President Donald Trump has insisted the talks will go ahead, saying the  truce will expire "Wednesday evening Washington time", but Iran has so far  not sent a delegation to Islamabad. Washington and Israel started the war on February 28 with a massive wave of  attacks against Iran that killed numerous senior figures, including supreme  leader Ali Khamenei. Between then and the truce, US-Israeli attacks killed thousands of Iranians. - Economic pain - In Tehran's wealthier northern neighbourhoods, which were largely deserted  during the fighting as residents fled to the nearby Caspian Sea coast, cafe  terraces have filled up once more with a young and trendy crowd, including  women without veils. The area, a calm oasis of narrow, shaded alleys, is more Westernised than the  rest of the capital, a bustling city of 10 million people. In the city centre, though, the devastation wrought by more than a month of  bombing is impossible to avoid, with ruined buildings looming over the  streets. Here, supporters of the government frequently rally to show their defiance of  the US-Israeli campaign, with many women in the body-cloaking chador and a  smaller number wearing headscarves or no head covering at all. Many Iranians fear the economic impact of the conflict and the strict  internet blackout put in place by the authorities. Laleh, a 27-year-old English teacher who lives in the central Iranian city of  Isfahan, was waiting anxiously for internet access to be restored so she  could contact her students. "I'm waiting for the internet to reconnect to see if I'll start working  again, because many (students) called and said that they either don't have  the money or their minds are too preoccupied to learn English and cancelled  their classes," she told AFP journalists based in Paris. She said many companies, big and small, were laying off workers and  "inflation is awful". Some people, she added, have resorted to working for  ride-hailing services or as street vendors. Farah Saghi, who is self-employed, put it simply: "Now the internet is shut  down, everyone is losing their jobs."