unemployment

Asal, a freelance designer in her 30s living in Tehran , used to get projects from abroad all the time. But after nearly two months without the internet, she told CNN by phone, “no new projects, no replies. It’s like everything just stopped overnight.” On the verge of tears, she said her income doesn’t even cover her basic expenses anymore. She and others who spoke with CNN for this story asked only to use their first name for privacy reasons. Asal is one of several million Iranians for whom Iran’s conflict with the United States and Israel is deeply personal. They have lost their work and are