The boiler at home hadn’t been working properly for some time. The water never got more than warm and a slow leak dripped underneath. I called my cousin, a heating engineer. He said he could come in an hour. When he arrived, I asked why he wasn’t at work. ‘They didn’t renew my contract,’ he said. ‘After 44 days of war, the company cut the staff in half.’ He took the cover off the boiler and peered inside. ‘I was earning 120 million rials a month,’ he said, ‘but couldn’t live on it.’ (It’s less than £70.) ‘I took on extra jobs. Air conditioners, boilers – whatever came up.’ He put down his screwdriver. ‘I worked seven days a week just to stay alive.’ He picked the tool up again. ‘I sent a message to my brother in Germany. I told him: I’m stuck here, my life is wasted – save yourself. Now when we talk, I can hear it in his voice. He’s happy. That’s enough for me. People here are changing.…