What are people in Iran saying about the U.S. and Israeli strikes? We hear from people on the ground who experienced the events as they unfolded. We have not independently verified their stories, and to protect them from retaliation many are identified only by initials.
It was after sunrise when the U.S. and Israel began their attack on Iran. Outbound roads quickly became heavily congested as people tried to flee to safety and communicate with loved ones. Iranian activist Hoda Parvin says dozens of people contacted her from inside Iran, reporting access to Starlink or spotty internet that let them relay what was happening.
A woman in Tehran who asked to be identified by her initials S-A, 39, said she was at a gym when the strikes began. She described screaming and shouting as people rushed out. Traffic that would normally take 15 minutes stretched into two to three hours as everyone tried to get home. She saw people banging on steering wheels and blasting music; at one point she abandoned her car along the road and walked part of the way home until streets cleared.
At home, S-A and others had followed government instructions and made preparations: taping windows, stocking up on water and food rations, and packing emergency bags. “We’ve done all those things,” she said, adding that people were waiting to hear when it would be safe to return to the streets.
Iranian state TV reported at least 200 people killed by Saturday’s airstrikes. Amid that, some Iranians opposed to the regime expressed relief that the U.S. was attempting to oust Iran’s government. A woman identified as E-S said, “We begged for it. We begged the U.S. to come and support us,” while acknowledging the likely casualties and devastation such attacks bring.
Others said the mood in parts of Iran now differs from the last round of strikes. One Tehran resident compared the strikes to the earlier “Twelve-Day” war: then, she and her mother were afraid; now, she said, “everyone is happy. We’re waiting for the main news. We’re just waiting for this hell to be over.”
As events continue to unfold, Iranians remain on edge, coping with immediate disruptions and waiting to see what comes next.
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