Fear, defiance, and anger: Iranians describe life under bombardment

"The Islamic Republic, which killed hundreds of thousands of people in Iraq and Syria, killed and tortured hundreds of thousands of Iranians in the most brutal way after all these years, and which now wants to have nuclear weapons: we, the Iranian people, who have lived with them for half a century, know how ridiculous their claim to be peaceful was."

"I do not leave the house nearly at all and I know most people, especially women, are like this. Here in my neighborhood, [the Basij] are everywhere. There are multiple teenage kids with guns in my alley."

A complete telecommunications blackout in Iran has persisted since mass anti-government demonstrations began in December, cutting off most internet and phone lines. Despite this isolation, NPR has received messages from inside Iran describing the situation during an ongoing joint U.S. and Israeli military campaign. Iranians report fear mixed with defiance, describing their ability to identify fighter jets overhead, endure constant sirens, and cope with post-airstrike silence. New security checkpoints staffed by Iran's Basij militia paramilitary group have been established across major cities to intimidate residents and restrict movement. Tehran streets remain largely deserted, with residents, particularly women, confined to their homes due to security forces and masked vigilantes patrolling neighborhoods.

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