Tehran: Long queues at petrol stations and bakeries, coupled with lines of cars attempting to escape the capital, paint a picture of a city in turmoil. Residents of Tehran are still reeling from Israel’s sudden attack on Iran early Friday morning, expressing feelings of fear, confusion, helplessness, and conflicting emotions.
According to BBC, a 21-year-old music student shared through an encrypted social media app, “We haven’t slept for nights.” This sentiment resonates with many in the city who are struggling to comprehend the rapidly intensifying conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s call for Iranians to rise against their clerical leadership was met with skepticism. “We don’t want Israel to save us. No foreign country ever cared for Iran,” she asserted. “We also don’t want the Islamic Republic.”
Another woman recounted her initial “strange excitement” at seeing Israeli forces target powerful Iranian military officials, only for sorrow and fear to set in when she learned of civilian casualties. “When I heard that regular people—people I didn’t know, people like me—had also been killed, I started to feel sorrow, fear, and sadness,” she told BBC Persian. Her emotions shifted to anger upon hearing about the attack on the South Pars gas field, fearing Israel’s intent to devastate Iran.
The Iranian authorities report more than 220 casualties, many of whom are women and children, since the conflict began. Meanwhile, Israeli officials state that Iranian missiles have resulted in at least 24 deaths in Israel. Unlike in Israel, Iran lacks warnings for imminent attacks and shelters for civilians. The dual threat of missiles and a reported campaign of car bombs in Tehran has exacerbated the panic and confusion.
Distrust in the Iranian authorities runs deep, even among regime supporters. Donya, who once defied the regime’s dress code, now stays home as university exams are postponed. “I get so terrified at night,” she said. “I take some pills to help me relax and try to sleep.” With explosions erupting unpredictably, the government advises seeking shelter in mosques and metro stations. However, many find this guidance inadequate.
Tehran’s vastness offers no respite, as every neighborhood seems affected by the conflict’s damage. A young woman shared her coping strategy with BBC Persian, explaining, “For now, all we do is check the news every hour and call friends and relatives whose neighborhoods have been hit to ensure they’re still alive.” She and her family have relocated to areas devoid of government buildings, yet uncertainty persists.
Amidst these tensions, families experience divisions over their stance on the attacks. “The situation feels like the first hours after the Titanic hit the iceberg,” one woman described. “Some people were trying to escape, some were saying it wasn’t a big deal, and others kept dancing.” She condemns Netanyahu’s actions as “inexcusable,” despite her opposition to Iran’s clerical rulers.
Dorreh Khatibi-Hill, a Leeds-based women’s rights activist and researcher, echoes the concern of Iran’s diaspora. “It’s hard to convey what it’s like to be an Iranian right now,” she said. “You’re happy that members of the regime—who have been torturing and murdering people—are being taken out. But we know that civilians are dying. This is a devastating humanitarian disaster.”
The conflict has prompted many Iranians to prepare for the worst, packing bags with essentials like first aid supplies, food, and water. As Israeli forces claim that Iran’s military has embedded itself within civilian areas, the threat to innocent lives remains a grim reality. Khatibi-Hill underscores, “No one wants Iran to turn into another Iraq, Syria, or Afghanistan. None of us wants this war. We don’t want the regime either.”