Accounts from people inside Iran describe chaotic scenes and varied reactions to the U.S. and Israeli strikes. Reporters have not independently verified these accounts, and many sources are identified only by initials to protect them.
The attacks began after sunrise. Outbound roads quickly jammed as people tried to flee to safety and contact family and friends. Iranian activist Hoda Parvin said dozens of people reached her from inside Iran, reporting either intermittent internet or access to Starlink that allowed them to relay what was happening in real time.
A Tehran woman who asked to be identified as S-A, 39, said she was at a gym when the strikes started. She described people screaming and rushing outside. Journeys that normally take about 15 minutes stretched to two or three hours as traffic clogged; she saw drivers banging steering wheels and blasting music. At one point she abandoned her car on the roadside and walked part of the way home until the streets eased.
At home, S-A and others said they had followed official advice and prepared ahead: taping windows, stocking water and food rations, and packing emergency bags. “We’ve done all those things,” she said, adding that people were waiting to know when it would be safe to resume normal activity on the streets.
Iranian state television reported at least 200 people killed by Saturday’s airstrikes.
Amid those reports of casualties, some Iranians who oppose the government expressed relief that the U.S. was taking action against Iran’s leadership. One woman identified as E-S said, “We begged for it. We begged the U.S. to come and support us,” while acknowledging the likely human cost of such attacks.
Others said the atmosphere in parts of the country felt different from an earlier round of strikes. A Tehran resident compared the current strikes to the earlier “Twelve-Day” conflict: whereas she and her mother had been frightened then, she said now “everyone is happy. We’re waiting for the main news. We’re just waiting for this hell to be over.”
As the situation continues to develop, people across Iran remain on edge, coping with immediate disruptions and awaiting further developments.
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