Missives from Tehran

An account of the last week, in a city under fire.

For the safety of my friend and her family in Tehran, I will not use real names, so I shall call the author of these messages, Nasim.

Nasim is in her late 50s, and is back in Iran after 40 years here in the US (via Spain in the 80s). These missives come via a social media instant messaging/ VoIP application; they are sporadic due to the war and what that does to internet, cellular signal, etc.

As most of us have no idea what living under an authoritarian regime, that is being bombed by a foreign nation, is like— I thought these missives would be interesting to my readers.

What follows is a collection of texts or transcript of voice messages, Nasim’s accounts of life in Tehran this last week since the Israeli bombings began.

[EDIT: This was compiled before the actions of the United States in these hostilities.]

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JUNE 13, 2025

Hi everyone. Day two and we’re ok. Nothing really impacting our area so far. We heard a lot of anti -aircraft missiles last night and could see flashes of light in the sky. That was till about 1:30-2 am. It’s a national holiday, Eid Ghadir, here today and all’s quiet so far. Will keep y’all posted.

[later]

It’s been a quiet day. Most of the activities have been at night. The internet has been slowed down considerably, because of security concerns they’ve said. We haven’t been able to connect our vpn. So our main source of news has been the cable news we get, CNN and BBC. And of course the rumor mill of friends.

JUNE 14

Good morning. All is well with us. Not much to report in our area. We did hear and see some anti missile activity last night but not as intense as the night before. Mostly towards south of us where Mehrabad Airport is, which has both civilian and military use. So far most of the Israeli strikes have been very targeted toward military installations, nuclear related sites and gas and oil infrastructures.

During the day the city is moving at its usual beat, albeit much lighter traffic. People are going to work, shops and restaurants are open. Grocery stores are very busy. No shortages yet or price hikes. But of course it’s only been three days, even though it feels much longer!!

Schools and universities have closed and final exams suspended for now.

The internet is still super slow.

JUNE 15

If you’ve never been to Tehran, you wouldn’t know from driving around the city that there’s a war going on. Shops and restaurants are open, people are going to work, sitting in coffee shops… But if you’re from here, you notice that there’s nothing seemingly normal about this hustle and bustle. Grocery stores are never this busy, gas lines—although omnipresent—are never this long, and the streets are never free of heavy traffic at any time of day.

The attacks started early today. By mid-afternoon, we were hearing the anti-aircraft/missile barrage and started getting reports of which parts of town were being hit. The hits are still mostly very targeted: high-ranking officials, military sites, petrochemical complexes, gas depots, etc.—unlike the barrage of aimless missiles Iran is lobbing at Israel.

There is high anxiety, for sure, but it’s mixed with hope and anticipation. When you’re talking to anyone, after the usual report of where they’ve heard has been hit, invariably the next comment is “faghat ina beran” [meaning, “so long as they leave”]. The hope is that one morning we wake up and hear Khamenei is with Assad—or preferably, as my friend put it, with Soleimani.

JUNE 16

We had been debating the past couple of days whether we should leave Tehran or not, for now we’ve decided it would be best to stay put. It’s not just the terrible traffic leaving town but we’re also hearing from our friends that have left for the Caspian Sea area already that they are encountering shortages. With the volume of people having gone to the provinces and the fuel shortages supplies are running low in those areas.

Our building is well situated and constructed. We do have access to emergency power and well water supply if need be. Also the four level underground parking can be used as shelter with multiple exit points. Of course this would be all for naught if there’s a direct hit .

Our area remains rather quiet. We did hear some missile strikes today and were able to see plumes of black smoke in the far distance to the south of us. We’re guessing it was Mehrabad airport.

Large neighborhoods north of Tehran, Niavaran, Elahieh and Fereshteh, still have no water service after Tajrish was hit. Still no strikes close to us

We did go to Shahrvand grocery store today and were able to get all we needed. The store was well stocked, from fresh produce to meats and dry goods and cans. Now we’re comfortably supplied for quite a few weeks

The internet remains considerably slow and getting connected to vpn challenging. With WhatsApp being filtered again it makes communication difficult.

JUNE 16 continued

It’s been a surreal few days—hearing missile strikes, then seeing large plumes of black smoke rising in the distance. The flashes of anti-aircraft fire in the night sky. The eerie quiet that settles over the city during the day.

You go about your routine—eat, sleep, talk to friends—all while carrying this constant, low-level anxiety.

Yesterday, in Arash’s family group chat, one of his cousins shared a story about her friend. They had decided to evacuate to the north. As her friend was outside the apartment building, loading their car, a missile struck the building. She lost her husband and children in the blast.

I wonder if she’ll ever think, “faghat ina beran.”

JUNE 17

Since the war started five days ago—or has it been five months?—I’ve come to appreciate the phrase “it’s complicated.”

You can both loathe the brutal, dictatorial regime of Iran and still oppose regime change through war. You can be against the war and still celebrate the assassination of top officials—even have your own list of targets (Mohseni-Ejhe’i, anyone?). You can celebrate those assassinations and simultaneously denounce extrajudicial killings as war crimes.

Well, at least for me, even in this situation, that last one isn’t complicated. You’re either committed to the rule of law and human rights, or you’re not. You can’t selectively apply your principles based on the scenario.

As a species, humanity—having endured generations of war and horror—has created rules of engagement. Nations have agreed to these rules. No country gets to claim moral superiority to break them, then cry foul when others do the same. That same logic of “moral exception” can be used by groups you oppose to justify crimes against humanity.

If you say, “Extrajudicial killings are illegal, but…”—you’ve already lost the argument. If you say, “Hitting residential areas is unlawful, but…”—you’re already on the wrong side.

I believe that, in war as in life, the ends do not justify the means. I truly believe that if the international community were more diligent in upholding its humanitarian obligations—and more even-handed in enforcing its rules—we would see far less carnage in the world.

JUNE 17 continued

Yesterday was an especially challenging day. The attacks started early—around 6 a.m.—and continued on and off throughout the day. There was a strike late in the afternoon northwest of us. We still don’t know what was hit, but the thick black plumes of smoke lingered for hours. With every explosion you hear, with every column of smoke, with every emergency siren, you can’t help but think about the casualties.

The attacks intensified late at night and continued well into the early morning hours.

It has only been a week since this war began, and yet from what I see, the conversation—especially in the Western media—has already shifted to “the day after” the regime collapses. But when the daily reality of witnessing bombardments is still a shock, it’s hard to think about the day after. Have we already settled the day before? Have we already moved past the question of the war’s legitimacy? Has it already been decided that any nation that feels threatened can preemptively attack another?

What is the point of the UN Charter? What is the point of the ICC? What is the point of the Geneva Conventions if powerful nations can pick and choose when they apply and when they don’t?

Surely, the answer is not a half-hour lecture on the evils of the Islamic Republic of Iran. That the regime is criminal and lacks legitimacy with its people is well documented and largely undisputed. But to leap from that fact to the conclusion that an imposed war is the solution—that’s a dangerous stretch.

An overwhelming number of Iranians do oppose this regime. But that doesn’t mean they want regime change through war. Most Iranians want to live. Most want to breathe. Most want a semblance of normal life. And if that can be achieved through peaceful means—through dialogue and negotiation—they will take that path.

As I look out toward the horizon, the haze from last night’s bombings still hangs over the city. Not all the victims have been pulled from the rubble. So forgive me if I’m not thinking about the day after. I’m thinking about today—about why this is happening, why it should never have happened, and how we can make it stop.

JUNE 18

Without Internet, our access to information has been severely compromised. We rely on the cable news channels and reports from friends and family scattered around the country The rumor mill is about and it's hard to verify what you hear In this situation. It is even harder to predict and anticipate what may happen which makes decision-making almost impossible.

All this makes me wonder about the people who have had access to the highest levels of information and their blunders in decision-making. The Israelis that thought the population will rise up against the mullahs and have tragically miscalculated. There may be hatred for the regime, but there's no love for foreign invaders. The ayatollahs that thought if there is a war, Iranians would rally around the flag, were also gravely mistaken. Years of brutalizing the population and plundering national treasure has only left the populous with exhaustion, hatred, and apathy.

And if any opposition group outside Iran thinks they can triumphantly ride the coattails of an Israeli-American victory after their country men have been killed and their cities devastated by the invaders; that group will soon find the folly of their gambit. The future of a free, democratic Iran will be built by the likes of Nasrin Sotoodeh, who have been here fighting for the people’s rights. The ones who have been here with the people, they are of the people and for the people.

JUNE 21

When the internet came back this morning, it became the greeting of the day. Before anyone said “hello” or “how are you,” it was, “The internet is back!”

The residents that stayed behind in the two high-rises in our complex have developed a routine of gathering in the courtyard of one of the buildings each evening. There are always drinks—a must at any gathering here. Someone will bring sandwiches, and games are a given. Tables are set up for card games, ping pong tournaments, rounds of charades, and of course, gossiping about neighbors and exchanging the latest rumors.

The artificial sense of normalcy in the evenings is frequently broken by the sound of anti-aircraft fire and the occasional siren. Still, we hold on—usually until around midnight—when, dulled a little by the drinks and the noise, we begin making our way back to our apartments for yet another restless night.

This is the best we can do for now, knowing that our fate is no longer in our hands.

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As of this afternoon, June 21, Nasim and her family were debating the safety of staying in Tehran and considering options.

As of 8:30 this evening the US has also bombed Iran.