Tehran sought to return to normal Saturday following a night of explosions from Israeli airstrikes, which Israel conducted in response to an earlier missile attack against it this month.
Iranians returned to work, cafes and the streets as state media downplayed the attack’s impact. Officials emphasized that schools and sports events continued as scheduled.
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Business as usual in Tehran, Saturday
(Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) / REUTERS)
In Tehran’s streets, reactions ranged from indifference to unease over potential escalation with Israel. Some residents, like Houman, 42, who heard explosions while working his night shift, expressed anxiety about being drawn into a broader regional conflict.
“It was an echoing, dreadful sound,” he told AFP. “There is now a war in the Middle East, and we fear being dragged into it.”
Another resident, Moharram, 51, voiced concern that Tehran could face stronger retaliation from Israel if the conflict escalates.
Flights over Iranian airspace were briefly halted following the strike but later resumed. Iranian media reassured citizens that Israel caused only “limited damage,” crediting the Islamic Republic’s air defenses for containing the threat.
Throughout the day, Iranian television showed scenes of regular traffic across major cities, stressing that life was carrying on uninterrupted. One broadcast featured residents singing and dancing atop a Tehran building during the strike, taunting Israel.
Sepideh, 30, a Tehran insurance manager, described waking up and heading to work as usual. “War is frightening, but I don’t think it will come to that here,” she told AFP. Another Tehran resident told Reuters, “War harms ordinary people, and we’re already suffering.”
Others conveyed defiance, with resident Hana Avniki saying the limited scale of the strike suggests Israeli caution. “Some worry about further clashes, inflation and issues piling up—but it hasn’t affected my life yet,” she said, adding, “If it continues, that will change.”
One Tehranian was more direct: “If by ‘attack’ Israel means last night’s firecrackers that didn’t even wake up anyone in Tehran, that’s their ‘power’—then shame on them.” Another resident dismissed concerns, saying, “The Israeli regime is doomed, disappearing automatically without any need for an Iranian response.”
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