“I don’t know who is at fault and who is not, but it is better to reach a compromise so that the war does not begin, and innocent people don’t die,” [i][/i]said Maryam, a 43-year-old private sector worker.

Like most Iranians, Maryam has been following the news about a stand-off between Iran and Israel since a strike hit Iran’s consulate in Damascus on April 1.
The attack, which Tehran has blamed on Israel, killed seven members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps, including two generals.

Iran has since vowed to punish Israel for the attack, without specifying how. The United States and other nations have urged restraint. Ties frayed further on Saturday, when Iran seized an Israeli-linked ship in the Gulf.

Israel then issued a warning that Iran would “bear the consequences for choosing to escalate the situation any further.”

The Iranian reformist newspaper Shargh said on Saturday that “the longer Tehran’s response is delayed, the more it has negative consequences on the country’s economy and intensifies concerns in society.”

This uncertainty has weighed on the return to school for students after the long holidays that follow the Iranian New Year, celebrated on March 31 — as well as the end of Ramadan.

“God willing, our government will favor reason over emotion,” said Salehi, a 75-year-old retired government employee in central Tehran.