Nepal, April 10 -- Everyday Iranians are awaiting planned negotiations between Washington and Tehran with a mixture of scepticism and outright fear, caught between a government they say doesn't understand peace and an American president who has threatened to destroy "a whole civilisation".

Talks between the United States and Iran and hosted by Pakistan were hanging in the balance on Friday, but if they go ahead they could transform a temporary ceasefire in the US-Israeli campaign against the Islamic Republic into a lasting peace.

Residents of Tehran contacted by AFP from Paris -- who asked not to be identified out of concern for their safety -- have mixed views on that prospect and are far from optimistic, with feelings ranging from an...