Iran and US deal offers hope to UAE residents hit by job losses, pay cuts

For Dubai resident Sanish, the beginning of the US-Iran war brought a tough situation — his salary was cut down to Dh800 per month.

- Nasreen Abdulla

Working in the hospitality industry, he is thankful that he still has a job.

“A lot of people in my company and in my friend circles were let go because of how the war impacted the tourism industry,” he said. “So even though my salary was slashed, I was thankful for the income. Since I am single and have no other responsibilities, I am able to scrape through with this salary.”

However, earlier this week when the US President Donald Trump announced that a peace deal had been agreed with Iran, he said that everyone around him felt happy and relieved. “I was awake watching the news while everyone else slept,” he said. “When the announcement came, I almost cried with relief. I quickly messaged my company WhatsApp group and some of the others who were awake replied. It suddenly felt like we could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.”