TEHRAN — The call to prayer echoes through the labyrinthine alleys of Tehran’s smaller market that lies to the north of the capital. In Bazaar e Tajrish, shops are packed with customers despite the crippling sanctions and the devaluation of the Iranian currency that shrank their dining tables and dwarfed bank accounts.

There are some positive indications, with the IMF projecting 2.5% growth, while inflation will still be around 40% in 2022.

Hopes to revive the 2015 nuclear deal were high until the end of February, when the war in Ukraine took priority, and there seemed no clear compromise on whether and how the Biden administration would delist the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization.

These days, there’s only slight hope a miracle could happen and convince either the United States or Iran to make a concession that would facilitate the deal's revival. While all the technical aspects of the deal have been cleared over the past months, former US President Donald Trump’s legacy continues to prevent the negotiators from reaching a deal, adding to concerns that Iran’s nuclear program might be heading toward a nuclear breakout.