Internet blackouts and checkpoints everywhere: Iranian life as US-Israeli strikes worsen
"The quantity of explosions, the wreckage, what is occurring - it is amazing," says Salar, whose name has been altered.
Since strikes started on February 28, Iran's capital, Tehran, has been heavily targeted by the US and Israel in an effort to undermine the Islamic government.
But as a result of the strikes, other places have been affected. Iranian officials reported that an attack on a girls' school in the city of Minab on Saturday resulted in the deaths of over 160 persons, including children. The US is looking into the incident, according to the White House, but it does not target civilians.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRNA) reports that since hostilities started, at than 1,100 Iranian civilians have died.In reference to the confrontation between Israel and Iran last year, a resident in Tehran told BBC Persian, "What we are feeling now is beyond what we experienced during the 12-day war."
Some Iranians describe the regime as terrified and express hope for the future of their country, while others claim that the ongoing attacks have made them dread for their families.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, was killed in the initial wave of strikes, but in the days that have followed, there has been little indication that air strikes will stop.Every day has seemed like a month, according to Salar. "The amount of attacks is so high."
He claimed that a recent airstrike caused his entire home to tremble and that he had to leave his windows open to prevent the glass from breaking.
The inability of foreign news organizations to obtain visas for Iran significantly restricts their capacity to learn about events occurring within the nation. Blackouts on the internet exacerbate the problem.
The majority of folks are staying indoors and only going outside to get supplies. Iranians have perceived the regime's apparent rise in street security as a reaction to the protests that followed the ayatollah's passing.Everywhere you look are checkpoints. One 25-year-old student in Tehran claims, "They are afraid of their own shadows."We are looking forward to the big, decisive moment when we all go out and win."
He claimed that the lines for bread and gasoline "are incredible" and that the cost of basic foods like eggs and potatoes had also increased dramatically.
Supermarkets and bakeries are still open, but most stores are closed and some payment machines are not working, a different city resident tells the BBC.
She claims that Tehran feels "empty" and that there must be a "urgent cause" for anyone to leave.Everyone appeared delighted and was chanting on the first day. However, police are now present.
Salar detailed security forces' threats against criticizing the nation's government.
Salar said Iranian security forces have been making their demands known, despite the difficulty of obtaining independent information.They send us SMS messages every day threatening to punish us severely if we step outdoors," he claims.There was a warning that said, "We consider you Israeli collaborators if any of you go out and protest."
According to him, the message's tone implied that anyone who disobeyed would face harsh consequences, including death.
"Our city was heavily bombed in the first three days," he claims. "We live in an area where fighter jets fly overhead all the time."
He continues by describing the sky as "simultaneously beautiful and frightening" after the start of the war due to columns of smoke rising from the locations of airstrikes.
Salar claims that despite not knowing which cities would be safe, he sent his parents north. Their home is located in Tehran's Shariati neighborhood, which has seen numerous military installations targeted.He adds that the present strikes are worse than any she encountered during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. "My mother was in extremely bad state - she was quite afraid," he says.
He continues, "More people are leaving Tehran every day, but it is not a choice for everyone."They are unable to relocate my friend's ailing granny.
Iranians are finding it very challenging to communicate with their loved ones as a result of the internet outages.
In addition to surviving, Kaveh claims that his primary worries have been having access to trustworthy news and attempting to stay in touch with friends and family.
He remembers that on the first day of the attacks, at noon, his internet connection went out, and he was unable to reconnect for two days.
Salar and Kaveh both use Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to access websites that the Iranian government has prohibited, but this is not a simple task.
Kaveh tries to assist "friends outside Iran who have no news from their families - to seek updates or send along messages" when he does get online.
It is impossible to assess the general response to the death of the supreme leader in Iran due to the country's strict security measures.
While some celebrated in the streets, others participated in government-led public shows of grief.
At first, Kaveh had trouble believing that Khamenei had been killed.He explains, "I always thought that moment would feel like happiness, but it didn't."He was taken out of the picture in an instant, which really infuriated me because thousands of people lost their lives and nearly every year of my life, as well as the lives of millions like me, were ruined."
Saleh claims he was surprised by the street festivities following the announcement of the supreme leader's passing.Following the attack, there was a strong sense of security in the city. It remains thus.
The men have no idea how the war will affect them, their families, or their nation.
Salar says, "I doubt any of us will ever be the same as before," adding that a lot of people are under a lot of stress.He refers to the supporters of the scion of Iran's erstwhile royal family who have backed US and Israeli military action as "those abroad, especially monarchists," who "truly do not know what we are experiencing."
He continues, "I hope they never have to."
According to Kaveh, it "would not finish as swiftly as we imagined" in the battle.Nevertheless, my optimism has not diminished. If anything, it gets stronger every day.He continues, "I am not sure what will happen after this 'surgery', but without it, something worse would undoubtedly have happened."In this manner, life and the future are at least still possible.
