On February 28, a new war began after Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran, killing several high-ranking military figures, scientists and political officials, including Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
Iran launched large-scale attacks against Israel and Arab countries hosting US military bases, including Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan and Oman.
Beyond military targets, both sides also struck civilian infrastructure, including gas and oil facilities, power stations, water treatment plants, steel and aluminium factories, roads, railways and bridges, as well as universities, airports, schools, hotels, stadiums and residential areas, particularly in Israel.
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On April 7, however, the parties to the conflict announced a two-week ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan, intended to pave the way for broader negotiations hosted by Islamabad over a comprehensive peace plan between Washington and Tehran.
The announcement came just hours before the expiry of a deadline set by Donald Trump, who had threatened in two separate social media posts to destroy Iran’s bridges and power plants and wipe out “a whole civilisation”.
The ceasefire has divided Iranian society, including among those who oppose the Islamic regime in Tehran. During the brutal repression of nationwide protests in Iran in January, Trump had told Iranians, “Help is on its way.” When he announced the war on February 28, he told them: “Now is the time to seize control of your destiny.”
On one side are many Iranians who had hoped the attacks would lead to regime change and who therefore oppose the ceasefire. On the other hand are those who believe the risk of total destruction is too high, and who favour a halt, at least to attacks on infrastructure.
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“Trump came, reopened the wound and left us alone”
Sohrab [not his real name] is a middle-aged Iranian living in Tehran working in a startup:
This is the worst thing that could have happened. The way this war played out will make the Islamic Republic much more brazen than before. Now they can say they stood up to the US, something the rest of the world would be afraid to do.
They have found new leverage. They have realised they can block the Strait of Hormuz and extract money.
What will happen is that they will crush the people. The minority in power will impose even tighter restrictions and deepen their dictatorship, while prosecuting and terrorising the majority: the Iranian people.
Sohrab says he feels betrayed by Trump:
During the uprising in January, Trump called on people to occupy regime buildings and said, ‘Help is on the way’. Tens of thousands of protesters were massacred by the regime because they believed there would be support from Trump, because he said, ‘I’ll help you’.
At first, he said he wanted regime change, but midway he changed his mind. I don’t know why.
He said: Stay at home during the bombardments, and when the time comes, I’ll call you to come back into the streets and topple the regime.
Trump didn’t achieve anything. It was all about him. Yes, he killed some commanders and political figures, but what happened? Were we ever able to protest in the streets, even for half an hour? Instead, the regime flooded the streets with its own armed supporters. No one dares to protest.
What Trump did is something like this: the Iranian people had a wound, but we were living with it, albeit uncomfortably. Then he came, reopened the wound, poured salt on it, and abandoned us.
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“I am personally willing to pay any price”
Sohrab confirms that his position is “extreme” compared with many other Iranians, including friends and family. He emphasises that he is willing to endure further destruction if it leads to the end of the Islamic Republic.
I am personally willing to pay any price, as long as the regime ceases to exist. We have never had peace to even worry about such things. In my four decades of life, I have always lived under stress and pressure from this regime.
Now, even if the stress increases a little, it doesn’t matter to me anymore. What mattered was my youth, I lost it, and it will never come back.
The “price” considered acceptable to topple the Islamic regime is a question that deeply divides Iranian society.
“War made the prospect of overthrowing the regime more distant”
Naznin [not her real name] is a middle-aged Iranian woman who runs her own business.
Just before the ceasefire, the panic was real, the threat was too serious to ignore. When it comes to targeting infrastructure like electricity, water and gas, it’s no joke. The idea that Iran could be reduced to ruins is something no one wants.
That said, I have to admit that no one around me is happy either. I speak with friends, and everyone is asking: ‘Why? Why did they not finish it off?’ Everyone is very worried about the future under the Islamic Republic.
Naznin also says darker days lie ahead for the Iranian people after this conflict:
I think this war not only did not help us, the Iranian people, it has made the prospect of overthrowing the regime more distant and harder to achieve. Even during this war, there have been arrests, summons, threats - and even executions of political dissidents.
According to the human rights group HRANA, 1,701 civilians, including 254 children, were killed in Iran during this war. In Israel, 26 people were killed according to official reports.
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