Jun. 16, 2025 |
The reaction in the Islamic Republic. Media coverage of the war between Israel and Iran has focused, understandably, on the dramatic exchange of airstrikes and the possible escalation of fighting. Reports from inside Iran often showed satellite images of the damage to the country’s nuclear facilities or the destroyed homes of military officials and scientists.
But it was rare to find reports about how people inside Iran felt about the unprecedented attack, because the regime imposes severe internet censorship, blocking access to nearly all Western social media. Tehran has about 10 million people, and they were awakened around 3:30 a.m. by the first wave of Israeli attacks. Israel struck targets in the eastern, western, and northern neighborhoods of the city. Friday’s attacks were the first time that Israel has struck civilian targets in Iran, and the capital’s residents awoke on Friday to scenes of destruction they’d never seen in their city before.
How are they responding?