Tehran, Iran. Long queues formed at gas stations and some Iranians began leaving cities in search of safety, witnesses said, after an attack by the United States and Israel on Iran triggered fear across the country.
Explosions and disruptions in Tehran
Explosions rocked Tehran and columns of smoke rose into the sky on Saturday morning, shaking the capital at the start of the Iranian working week. One man speaking to Reuters from Tehran said he was rushing to get his children from school.
Residents describe fear in affected cities
“We are scared, we are terrified. My children are shaking, we have nowhere to go, we will die here,” said Minou, a 32-year-old mother of two from the northern city of Tabriz, one of the areas where explosions were reported. “What is going to happen to my children?,” she said, crying as she spoke by phone.
Security body warning and closures
Iran’s top security body said it expected attacks to continue in Tehran and some other cities and urged people to “travel to other cities where possible so that you may remain safe from the harm of these two regimes’ acts of aggression”. It said schools and universities would be closed until further notice.
Context and U.S. statements
The attack marks the latest upheaval for Iranians weeks after thousands of people were killed in a government crackdown on nationwide unrest, and eight months after last year’s 12-day war with Israel, during which the United States bombed Iranian nuclear sites.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the operation would end a security threat to the United States and offer Iranians a chance to topple their rulers. The Pentagon said U.S. strikes against Iran were named “OPERATION EPIC FURY.”
Mixed reactions from Iranians
An Iranian from the central city of Yazd said he hoped the attack would topple the clerical establishment that has run the country since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. “Let them bomb,” the resident said.
Samira Mohebbi, speaking from the northern city of Rasht, said she opposed Iran’s rulers but did not want foreign attacks. “I am against this regime, to hell with them. But I don’t want my country to be attacked by foreign forces, I don’t want my Iran to turn into Iraq,” she said, referring to Iraq’s years of chaos and bloodshed after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
How are you and your family preparing to stay safe amid the reported attacks and warnings?
