Residents of Tehran are gripped by fear and exhaustion as successive waves of strikes hit the Iranian capital, with some describing the latest overnight bombardment as the worst in six days of conflict. An internet blackout across Iran is hindering the flow of information, but accounts emerging through proxy connections and calls with contacts abroad paint a picture of intense explosions and growing civilian distress.
Tehran Under Attack
Zahra, a teacher and mother of one living in central Tehran, said the strikes, in what she described as the heaviest attack to date, have left her deeply worried for civilians caught between the conflict and the actions of their own government.
“This is the first time since the war began that I am genuinely scared for my fellow Iranians,” Zahra said. “We are trapped between the regime that is killing us with machine guns, and a foreign power has likely decided that we are collateral damage.”
Despite previously protesting against the government and celebrating the killing of the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, Zahra expressed increasing fear over the civilian toll. “The initial joy of the regime’s leaders paying the price is soon turning into fear. Who will be left in free Iran if we all get killed?”
She described Thursday night as unlike anything she had experienced before. “I don’t think I have ever experienced a night like this before or even seen [anything like it] in the movies. I am really scared, especially because I am in total information blackout.”
Growing Fears of Escalation
Farzad, a 36-year-old who has fled the city, warned, “If they don’t stop now, Tehran will turn into Gaza.” He described being able to distinguish between the sounds of fighter jets, air defense systems, and missiles. “Sometimes we stand together and watch the trails of hypersonic missiles in the sky.”
Farzad lamented a perceived lack of concern for civilian lives. “It saddens me that most people around me are happy with this situation, the pro-regime ones too and those against the regime too. Both for different reasons. No one cares about innocent lives,” he said. “In the end, it feels like what people say: ‘Whether the wolf is killed, or the wolf devours the shepherd, everyone is caught in the tragedy.’”
A Tehran-based reporter in the eastern part of the city reported being woken by violent explosions. “I was asleep, and somehow over the past few days I got sleep because we got used to the sounds of explosions. But early this morning, the situation has turned really scary. The windows were shaking and I could hear people shouting.”
“We were not hit, but I thought the ceiling would fall on me and I would die. I am devastated to see my beloved city being destroyed like this.” The reporter later went offline and could not be reached for updates.
Other residents relayed similar accounts of panic across the capital. “Tonight was the worst! I woke up to the sound of fighter jets and then felt like the bombing was happening right in my ears. I really thought I was going to die,” one resident said.
Another message read: “I wasn’t far from dying tonight in the bombardment. But messaged to let you know we have fled the capital since.”
City Subdued After Overnight Strikes
As of Friday morning, residents described the city as subdued and partially deserted. A handful of grocery shops were open, and many families were attempting to leave the capital following the overnight strikes. “I hope I don’t come back to ruins,” one person said.
Saeed, a Tehran University student, pleaded for consideration for civilian safety. “Please use your voice to ask Mr Trump if there is a plan to keep us safe while they go after military targets, because we are terrified that this morning’s strikes, which genuinely felt like the heaviest since Saturday, must have killed so many people.”
A former political prisoner in west Tehran noted that fewer residents had left the city compared to the 12-day war last June, and that most shops remained open despite the bombardment. “Since the 12-day war, people are stuck at a historical crossroads: on one side they are killed by their own government, and on the other side by the state of Israel,” she said.
“The reality is that the finger of blame should be pointed at the government that caused this destruction and devastation, and that is now burning in the very fire it lit itself. What I or ordinary people think about the war, or what situation we are in, doesn’t really matter when it has no effect on the equation.”
She added: “Last night they hit central Tehran with B-2s. This morning, for the second time, I really felt very close to death.”
A human rights activist in central Tehran observed that many residents believe increased bombing will weaken the government, while others, particularly at the grassroots level, have experienced so much hardship that they are simply relieved by any disruption.
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