We talk to cultural anthropologist Ehsan Lor Afshar about the historical context of this war - especially the effects on self-worth that sanctions against Iran have had and the alienation they have caused. Ehsan explains the ways in which Iranians have coped and survived, in some cases thrived, in this context of siege as well as the way in which we need to understand this at the level of humanity rather than in abstract economic terms. We also discuss the current war and its effects on this already devastated context and the relationship between Armenians, Azeris, and Iran.