Most Iranians have no internet access. Starlink devices are expensive as well as illegal, so those who have access tend to be relatively wealthy. A few others manage to connect via VPNs.
Most Iranians who agree to speak to BBC Persian are opposed to the Iranian regime. But even among the government’s critics, there are deep differences over this war and its impact.
According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, 1,900 people have been killed in Iran by the US and Israeli strikes, while HRANA puts the total at over 3,400, more than 1,500 of them civilians.
Maral, a student in her 20s in the city of Rasht in northern Iran, has become very frustrated with her father for his continued support of the war.
He is an enthusiastic supporter of Reza Pahlavi, the crown prince of Iran before the 1979 revolution.
Pahlavi now lives in the US and has positioned himself as a potential transitional leader of the country. He supports the US and Israeli strikes on Iran despite mounting casualties, describing the attacks as a “humanitarian intervention” and recently urging the US to “stay the course”.
He has gained traction in Iran in recent months as an opposition figure, with some demonstrators in the January protests chanting his name.
“I just want this war to end as soon as possible,” says Maral. “Many ordinary people have died.”
She says she gets “annoyed” because her father is “really optimistic”, even as the bombs fall.
“We try to talk to him, but he just keeps going on about ‘the Prince, the Prince,'” she says.
“My dad lives in this illusion that Iran will open up its borders and within five years everything will be rebuilt, everything will be fine. He’s being influenced by Israeli propaganda that the two countries will be friends.”
Her father and mother often argue about Pahlavi, she adds.