Iranian protesters march in Tehran’s Revolution Square following Israeli airstrikes on the country, on 13 June 2025 in Tehran, Iran. [Getty]
Anger is the most evident emotion in the words and expressions of ordinary people in Tehran following Israel’s attack on the Iranian capital and other parts of the country.
People who once endured a long war with Iraq and have lived for years under the looming threat of conflict with the United States and Israel were jolted awake in the darkness of Friday morning by the sound of Israeli bombs exploding.
A retired engineer, who is hard of hearing and relies on hearing aids, said the explosions were so terrifying that they woke him up.
“When I woke up to the sound of the bombs, I was furious, thinking that ordinary people were being killed and infrastructure was being destroyed,” the Tehran-based engineer told The New Arab. “I thought about how many innocent people died in the Iran-Iraq war and how hard we worked for years to rebuild everything that was lost. Now Israel is destroying it again.”
The Iranian engineer, a vocal opponent of the regime, likens the Israeli attack on Iran to a bully beating an ignorant person. He continued: “Now the Islamic Republic must also be held accountable. Where did all the money go that was taken from the people’s pockets and spent on the IRGC, security and defence systems?”
Although the Israeli attack targeted many residential areas in Tehran, life in the city appeared to return to normal the following day. Still, beneath the surface, everything was overshadowed by the fear of what might happen if this attack escalated into full-scale war.
A Tehran-based doctor, who has two children aged seven and three and who previously supported the idea of regime change by foreign intervention, is now speaking more cautiously following the attack.
“I’m glad a few revolutionary guards leaders were eliminated, but the fear that gripped my children was terrible. The sound of the explosions was horrifying, and they woke up crying. No matter what we did, we couldn’t calm them until the bombing stopped,” he said.
He added that while life in the city now seems normal, he is worried that the fighting could intensify and more bombs might fall.
A housewife, also an opponent of the regime, spoke about the pressure ordinary people felt during and after the attack, and pointed to reports of the families of Islamic Revolutionary Guards commanders killed in the strikes.
“If you are targeting the IRGC forces, attack their command centres. Why are you bombing their homes?” she asked.
She also criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vague remarks following the attack, in which he claimed the targets were regime leaders.
“Netanyahu says he does not target ordinary people, but it is we who are suffering. Our lives are being turned upside down with each attack. He is no different from the leaders of our regime. All of them are only thinking about preserving themselves, and the one thing that holds no value to them is human life,” she said.