Unlike Israeli cities, there are no bomb shelters in the Iranian capital with a population of over 15 million people. People do not know where to run and are panicking to leave the city. Here is what Iranians tell DW:
Numerous videos from Tehran, which are being circulated on social media or sent directly to relatives abroad, show kilometer-long traffic jams on the highways around the city. Those who can are trying to leave the capital. Long lines form at gas stations, and fuel is running low.
"It's hard to believe we're in the middle of a war," eyewitnesses say. "You don't know when, or worse, where, the next missile might land."
There are no bomb shelters in Tehran
Last Friday, June 13, the Israeli army attacked Iran to cripple Iran's nuclear program. Iranian nuclear and missile facilities, as well as oil and natural gas fields, were bombed. Nuclear scientists and senior Revolutionary Guard officers were also targeted. Iran responded with missile attacks that hit several Israeli cities. According to local authorities, the death toll in Israel had risen to at least 24 by Monday morning, with nearly 600 injured.
Unlike Israeli cities, the Iranian capital, with a population of over 15 million, has no bomb shelters. Many of the targets hit in Tehran since Friday are in the heart of urban areas. But it's not just Tehran - there are no shelters or early warning systems anywhere in the country.
According to Hossein Kermanpour, a spokesman for the Iranian Health Ministry, 224 people had been killed in the Israeli attacks by Sunday afternoon, and more than 1,200 others were injured and are in university hospitals across the country. More than 90% of them were civilians. These reports, provided by the parties to the conflict, cannot be independently verified.
Civilians in Iran - defenseless and helpless
Many do not know how to protect themselves or where to flee. Fatemeh Mohajerani, a spokeswoman for the Iranian government, advised the population on state television to seek refuge in metro stations, mosques and schools. Her statement caused a wave of indignation on social networks, where many people are asking since when schools and mosques are built in such a way that they can also be used as safe havens in case of missile attacks.
A resident of Tehran told DW: "We do not have access to shelters. There are none in the entire city. There is simply nowhere for people to hide in an emergency.”
Many Iranians now realize that for 46 years the regime in Tehran has been threatening Israel with destruction, but has made no significant effort to build shelters for its own people.
Fear and a sense of helplessness are growing among the Iranian population. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened that “the people of Tehran will pay the price,” but later clarified that Israel has no intention of harming ordinary people, “as the murderous dictator does to the people of Israel,” he explained.
In this regard, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the people of Tehran to evacuate. However, people have no idea where they can go to be safe.
A chance for the Iranian opposition?
Holly Dagres from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy commented to DW: "Iranians are angry because they are now caught between two fronts. For 46 years, they have lived in an Islamic Republic that has effectively waged war against its own people. This situation is the result of the decisions of a regime that the people no longer want. But even though there are more and more civilian casualties, Iranians do not want war or bloodshed. They are completely powerless in this situation," the American analyst of Iranian origin also told DW.
According to Sarah Bazubandi, a research fellow at the Institute for Security Policy at Kiel University, it is not excluded that many Iranians have more trust in the Israeli army than in their own government. "They are much more confident that the Israel Defense Forces will not attack civilians, which cannot be said of the Iranian regime", she told DW, recalling how an Iranian missile hit a residential area in eastern Tehran on Sunday.
Sociologist Merhadad Davirpour believes that this is not a war between the Iranian and Israeli people. "The only way to prevent further uncontrolled destruction from this war is for all those who stand for peace and democracy to exert international pressure to stop the Israeli attacks and bring Iran to the negotiating table," the lecturer at Malardalen University in Sweden wrote to DW.
Following the Israeli strikes on Iran, the opposition says the government in Tehran is extremely weakened and is calling for a new mass mobilization. Netanyahu echoed this in a video address to the Iranian people, saying they now have the opportunity to "stand up", repeating the phrase "Women, Life, Freedom".
The "Women, Life, Freedom" movement emerged in 2022 after the death of Gina Mahsa Amini in police custody. It mobilized broad public groups in Iran and abroad and was suppressed with brutal repression, with at least 600 victims and tens of thousands arrested.