Residents say security forces remain firmly in place despite US-Israeli bombardment
A woman holds an image of Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, alongside late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during a funeral ceremony for the Iranian military commanders who were killed in strikes, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 11, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
A resident of Tehran has described fear, pollution and a heavy security presence in the Iranian capital following weeks of US-Israeli strikes, saying the state’s “repression machine is still deployed” despite the ongoing bombardment.
The testimony was shared with France 24 by a regime opponent identified as Vahid, whose identity has been concealed for security reasons.
“On Saturday night (March 7), it started very violently, with terrifying sounds. The sky was completely lit up. The strikes hit oil depots. Living conditions are already bad, and this makes things even harder for us,” he said.
Vahid described the aftermath the following morning as unlike anything he had seen before.
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“Everything was black on Sunday morning in Tehran. I had never seen anything like it in my life. The air was filthy. It was as if someone had poured oil on the ground; everything was covered in soot,” he said.
He said residents feared the health effects of the smoke. “I don’t know to what extent it is harmful to breathe, or how toxic the air was. But it is clearly chemical smoke, and I tell myself that it must inevitably be damaging,” he said.
According to him, people rarely ventured outside after the strikes.
“The only thing we can do in the face of this is to wear a mask. I went out once or twice to buy groceries, and there was nobody in the streets,” he said, adding that strong winds and rainfall later helped clear the air.
Security presence remains
Despite the attacks, Vahid said the country’s security apparatus remains largely intact.
“Maybe some important targets have already been hit, but all those repression centres remain. They should start with those,” he said.
“They tell us: ‘You must take to the streets when we announce it.’ But the conditions for ordinary people to go out into the streets are not there because the security forces are still firmly in place outside.”
He added that pro-government supporters continue to gather in the evenings.
“Meanwhile, pro-regime supporters mobilise every evening between 8pm and 10pm, as if they had an appointment. And the repression machine is still deployed. I would say 70% of it is still there.”
According to Vahid, military vehicles and security checkpoints remain widespread across the city.
“In the streets and on the main squares, you see military vehicles that we had only seen in Hollywood films until now. These vehicles and all this equipment are so intimidating that we dare not even approach them,” he said.
He also described encountering young guards at checkpoints. “At one checkpoint I crossed, the boy posted there with a weapon did not even have a moustache yet.”
Concerns over leadership change
Vahid said he initially hoped the conflict would lead to political change in Iran.
“Until Sunday evening, before Mojtaba Khamenei was designated as the new Supreme Leader, I really had hope. I was telling myself that we were finally going to be saved,” he said.
However, the announcement of the leadership succession left him pessimistic. “The designation of Mojtaba Khamenei was the worst news we could have received during this war. It’s like a hammer blow when we are already living under difficult conditions,” he said.
He added that many Iranians remain uncertain about the future but hope for political change. “The Iranian people have been deceived so many times. I hope that this time it will not be the case, and that the real objective will be freedom for Iranians,” he said.
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Similarly, in another account, AFP reported that a Tehran resident described daily life in the Iranian capital as a mix of fear, disruption and cautious hope amid ongoing US-Israeli strikes.
Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity for security reasons, the woman in her 30s said many residents initially left the city after the attacks began, particularly those living near potential targets.
“People left in waves, especially those who were next to targets,” she said, adding that the worsening financial situation has made it difficult for some to leave.
“My job has been halted and I am spending out of my savings. Going away has costs too, so this may be one of the reasons why people are leaving Tehran less now,” she said, also referring to assurances by US President Donald Trump that civilians would be safe. Despite the conflict, she said some aspects of daily life continue.
“You can still do your shopping though. For petrol, they went from 30 litres maximum to 20,” she said, adding that in some places supplies were even more restricted.
“I heard from a friend that at one petrol station, they capped it at five litres.” Hospitals, she said, are still functioning. “Thankfully we haven’t had to go to a hospital yet but apparently they work fine.”
Security checkpoints across city
The resident said checkpoints have become more common across Tehran as authorities attempt to maintain control.
“The only way they can show that they’re there and that the situation is under control is to put checkpoints around the place,” she said. According to her, some checkpoints involve searches of mobile phones.
“They take people’s phones and they will type ‘Leader’, ‘Khamenei’ or even ‘moosh Ali’,” she said, referring to a derogatory nickname for the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. She also described nightly pro-government rallies.
“Other regime supporters come to the streets with flags and signs chanting ‘Allahu akbar’ around 10:00-10:30pm. They’re in around 50 cars and do loops and chant a bit,” she said.
Impact of air strikes
The woman said several people she knew had been directly affected by the bombardment. “The house of my friend’s mother is in front of the Public Security Police station in Gisha. The windows of part of the building facade were blown off completely,” she said.
She also described heavy destruction near Niloufar Square. “When they hit it, the strikes were so intense that the square has expanded by a street. The destruction was huge, I went to see myself,” she said.
A shop owner she knew was also affected. “They could only recover a few boxes of merchandise from the back. The store is destroyed,” she said.
Mixed feelings about the war
The resident said emotions in the city remain divided, recalling celebrations in her neighbourhood after reports of the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
“The night they announced Khamenei had died, my neighbours and I went up on the roof and everybody was screaming and celebrating,” she said. However, security forces soon responded.
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“They came to the neighbourhood with their motorbikes and started shooting in the air. They started firing at windows with bullets randomly,” she said. Despite the risks, she said some people believe external pressure is necessary for political change.
“I don’t understand people who say ‘no to war’ because we were the ones out in the streets protesting and we saw that they will not leave no matter what,” she said. “There is no other way to remove them except foreign intervention.”
Living with fear
The woman said the intensity of the strikes varies across Tehran, a large city where experiences differ depending on location. “One night they hit an area close to me and it felt like someone was taking off the entrance door to the building,” she said.
A friend living in Tehran-Pars has started taking sleeping pills because of the constant noise, she added. Another friend living near Mehrabad airport spent hours sheltering in a bathroom during one night of strikes.
“They felt like the roof was falling down on them,” she said. “But Tehran is big and the experiences are quite different.”
