Chaos and Panic Grip Tehran as Airstrikes Shake City
Iranians were beginning their workweek as airstrikes sent people fleeing parts of the capital and parents racing to collect children from schools.
Explosions Rock Tehran
Just as Iranians began their workweek on Saturday morning, airstrikes sent panicked residents of Tehran into the streets and parents racing back to schools where they had just dropped off their children.
Chaos and uncertainty set in as explosions shook the densely populated city, Iran’s capital, according to witnesses.
Eyewitness Accounts
A businessman from Tehran said in a message that he was sitting in his office with many employees when they heard two explosions along with fighter jets streaking over the sky. Employees ran screaming out of the building, he said. He, like several other residents, asked not to be identified by his full name because he feared for his safety.
From an upscale district, a resident described seeing at least 10 fighter jets flying overhead as locals ran into the streets and some drivers abandoned cars on streets choked with traffic. With ambulance sirens wailing in the background, other residents scrambled to pick their children up from school.
“I rushed to school to get my daughter from middle school. The girls were hiding under the stairs and crying,” said a parent whom a reporter reached on a social media app. “The principal did not know what had happened — everyone was so scared.”
From the roof of an apartment in Tehran’s northern district, a resident described seeing a second round of fighter jets. “People are standing on the roof looking at the sky, pointing down. You can hear women screaming. Some of my neighbors are running to their cars,” she said. “It feels like we are in a movie.”
In an area where a large compound belonging to Iran’s security forces is located, residents heard multiple explosions that shook their windows. “My children are crying and scared, we are huddling in the bathroom, we don’t know what to do. This is terrifying,” an engineer living in the area wrote in a message.
Telecommunications Disruptions
As reports of explosions hitting other cities across Iran began to emerge on local media, telecommunications began to falter. A resident said they were fleeing the area without being able to contact their loved ones to tell them where they were going.
Broader Targets and Political Context
The strikes appeared to target a broader range of locations, including political targets like government buildings and security compounds, according to residents and local news outlets.
The attacks come at a fragile moment for Iran, following recent government crackdowns on nationwide protests.
Mixed Reactions Among Iranians
Not all Iranians reacted with anger as they watched the plumes of smoke rising from the blasts. A resident of a township west of the capital said some of his relatives were cheering the strikes. He said he could hear voices outside his building chanting slogans.
Official Statements
As the strikes continued across the country, a statement urged Iranians to stay safe and seek shelter. Many residents expressed concern primarily for their immediate safety.
“The only thing on our mind right now is to get to safety,” a lawyer and mother of two said in an interview. “Nobody is thinking of protesting right now.”
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