How Iranians See the War

“The Iranian government had effectively cut off the country from the rest of the world. The number I kept seeing was 99%. 99% of Iranians who normally had access to the internet now didn't. I was trying to reach the remaining 1%. These would be people with workarounds like VPNs or enough money to afford satellite communications like Starlink that could get them online for even just a few minutes.”

“He urged the Iranian people to rise up against the government. 'Now is the time to seize control of your destiny and to unleash the prosperous and glorious future that is close within your reach. This is the moment for action. Do not let it pass.' But then bombs started to fall. People did not rise up. And so I wondered, what did Iranians think of this new war and the president's call to action?”

“Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had just been killed in an airstrike. Many of the people I spoke with were critical of the regime, like the vast majority of Iranians. Their spirits seemed high. Many of those people were grieving. But others were angry and pledged to fight against the American and Israeli invaders. One Iranian who supported the regime said he heard people chanting death to Trump.”

“One of his favorite things to watch was an anime adaptation of Anne of Green Gables. She was an outsider just like him. And he noticed other things. Like in the school scenes, the boys and girls weren't separated. They were together, sitting side by side, interacting with each other. He wished his school was like that. So much so, that before going to sleep at night, he would imagine himself sitting in that classroom.”

“When it came to Trump's call to overthrow the government, many of those opposed to the regime said it didn't make sense to take to the streets and protest. It was too dangerous. One source told me her friend's daughter was shot and killed on the street by what she described as pro regime forces. Because our neighbor who was a civilian was killed in an attack. Another told me her neighbor was at work when he was killed by an airstrike.”