Iranians say daily life filled with fear and distrust

By
CNN staff
A man checks the site at the damaged Tehran building of radio and television broadcaster, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), on 19 June.
Photo:
AFP
After days of tit-for-tat strikes between Israel and Iran, for the civilians caught up in Israel's bombing campaign, life is filled with uncertainty.
"This is war," one 58-year-old father of two in the capital, Tehran, told CNN, adding, "no one really understands what that means."
A week into the conflict, Iranians' contact with the outside world is difficult, hampered by sporadic internet and phone coverage. Some - typically wealthy activists - have access to Starlink terminals providing independent internet access.
Speaking through voice recordings, messages and occasional calls, all the people interviewed asked CNN not to reveal their full names for fear of retribution from Iran's authorities.
Life has found a new wartime rhythm, they said, with local shops still open but some accepting payment on credit, the father of two told CNN. Unable to withdraw money from Iran's Sepah Bank, this credit has become a lifeline.
"We have electricity but gasoline is useless to us because we have nowhere to go outside Tehran," he said, after long lines of traffic departing the capital were seen in recent days.
A photo provided by the Iranian Red Crescent on 19 June, shows the funeral procession of two Iranian Red Crescent members who were killed during an Israeli strike in Tehran.
Photo:
AFP / HO / Iranian Red Crescent
Glued to the TV watching an outlawed Iranian broadcaster based in London, he said his family hadn't left their house in recent days.
"Daily life is filled with constant fear and distrust," he said.
From Shiraz in southern Iran, a 55-year-old English teacher described a "huge group of people waiting" to withdraw cash at a bank branch in the city centre.
"The workers were completely overwhelmed and said they just cannot process all these requests for cash. I wouldn't say it was chaotic, but I do feel there is an underlying feeling of panic," he said.
"It feels like a missile is following me. I go to Karaj and they bomb there. I come to Tehran and they bomb here," a 27-year-old conscript soldier told CNN.
Posted in Tehran, he was able to visit family in Karaj at the weekend, but in the capital is prohibited by military rules from using his phone or other devices. "We can't even check the news."
Smoke rises after an explosion occurred in downtown Tehran, on Sunday 15 June.
Photo:
KHOSHIRAN
A hairdresser from Shiraz lamented the destruction being inflicted: "I don't even know what to say. You watch the videos, the photos. People are being killed, our country is being looted, falling apart like this.
"Israel and the US don't care about the Iranian people," she said. "You want to hit the real target, but it's surrounded by ordinary people. They're destroying the country."
"Rebuilding all this may take decades, if not longer, and in the end it's we the people who will have to bear the cost," a 22-year-old janitor of an apartment building in Tehran told CNN.
More than 200 people have been killed in Iran, according to Tehran, with Israel's strikes taking out much of the key leadership in the country's military and nuclear programme. But Iran has accused Israel of also targeting its energy and digital infrastructure.
"We are paying the price for a dictatorship and its arrogance," shared a nurse from Mashad, northeast Iran, whose father was a decorated war veteran. "But now that all its forces (in the region) have been destroyed, it seems that its own turn has come," she added.
Watching the attacks on a deeply unpopular regime, some Iranians confessed to welcoming the strikes, even as civilians were caught up in the bombings.
"I want to say what I truly feel," a student from Shiraz told CNN, "I don't know what I'll be judged for, what I'll be accused of.
"Still, I'll say it, I'm genuinely happy. Really, deeply happy!" she added. "I believe it's worth it, for the sake of future generations."
But a week into the fighting, even as diplomatic channels for peace start to coalesce, there's still no sign of an end to the bombings. Uncertainty has only been fuelled by US President Donald Trump teasing the possibility of US aircraft joining the bombing campaign.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has slammed Trump's call for surrender, warning that America's involvement in Israel's military campaign would "100% be at their loss."
Other Iranians share his defiance.
"The mood in Iran is starting to morph into an environment of nationalism," according to a 69-year-old Iranian-American woman visiting Tehran. "I saw a lot of cars waving the Islamic Republic flag from their windows as we drove out of town."
The heavily damaged building of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) state controlled media corporation in Tehran, on 19 June, after it was hit a few days earlier in an Israeli strike.
Photo:
AFP
"I lost a son during the Iran-Iraq War and will be happy to fight America and the Zionists again," a 78-year-old mosque caretaker from Isfahan told CNN, "Those who love martyrdom cannot be defeated."
The prospects of peace look slim, one engineering student from Mashad told CNN.
"Now that Trump has come this far, he will see it through to the end. They don't let a wounded bear go free," she said.
-
CNN

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

RNZ News

4 hours ago

• RNZ News

Trump's new two-week negotiating window sets off scramble to restart stalled Iran talks

By Kevin Liptak, Kylie Atwood and Jennifer Hansler , CNN Photo: AFP / Brendan Smialowski US President Donald Trump's decision to open a two-week negotiating window before deciding on striking Iran has set off an urgent effort to restart talks that had been deadlocked, when Israel began its bombing campaign last week . The hope among Trump and his advisers is that Iran - under constant Israeli attack and suffering losses to its missile arsenal - will relent on its hardline position and agree to terms it had previously rejected, including abandoning its enrichment of uranium, according to US officials. The deferred decision, which came after days of increasingly martial messages from the president suggesting he was preparing to order a strike, also gives Trump more time to weigh the potential consequences - including the chance it could drag the United States into the type of foreign conflict he promised to avoid. Negotiating a diplomatic solution in Trump's condensed timeline appeared to face significant early hurdles. Earlier this week, discussions were underway inside the White House to dispatch Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Vice President JD Vance to the region for talks with Iran, but as Trump grew wary that diplomatic efforts might succeed, the idea never resulted in scheduled talks, and both Vance and Witkoff remained in Washington as of Thursday. Foreign ministers from Britain, Germany and France are travelling to Geneva on Friday to hold talks with Iranian representatives, and have been briefed on the details of the last deal Witkoff offered to Iran, which Tehran ultimately rejected, before the Israeli strikes began. US officials did not have high expectations of success for Friday's meeting in Geneva, but a White House official kept the door open to progress. "This is a meeting between European leaders and Iran," a White House official said. "The President supports diplomatic efforts from our allies that could bring Iran closer to taking his deal." Iran's consistent message to the US since Israel began its strikes has been it would not engage in further talks, until the ongoing Israeli operation ends, two sources familiar with the messages said. The US had so far not pressured Israel to halt its strikes, sources said, and Trump said this week that his message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been to "keep going". So far, Iran has offered no indication it is willing to move off its positions on enrichment, which it views as a red line. As of Thursday, no official talks between the US and Iran were on the books, US officials said. In putting off a decision, Trump appears to be placing more stock in a diplomatic solution that only a day earlier he appeared to suggest was out of reach. "I think the president has made it clear he always wants to pursue diplomacy, but believe me, the president is unafraid to use strength if necessary," press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, after relaying Trump's new two-week timeline. "Iran and the entire world should know that the United States military is the strongest and most lethal fighting force in the world, and we have capabilities that no other country on this planet possesses." New vehicle tracks and dirt piles over underground centrifuge buildings at Natanz enrichment facility. Photo: AFP / Maxar Technologies In a string of situation room meetings over the course of this week, Trump has quizzed advisers about the likelihood US bunker-buster bombs could entirely eliminate Iran's underground nuclear facility at Fordow and how long such an operation might last, according to people familiar with the conversations. He has repeatedly insisted he wants to avoid taking action that could devolve into a multi-year conflict, something many of his own loyalists - including one-time top strategist Steve Bannon, with whom the president had lunch Thursday - argue would be unavoidable, should he make the decision to go ahead. While the president has seen the military options, he remains worried about a longer-term war. Any assessments on whether a strike would cause prolonged US engagement are predictive and, by their nature, not entirely satisfactory, one official said. The new, within-two-weeks time-frame for talks was not universally welcomed. An Israeli intelligence official expressed dismay that Trump would not make a decision - one way or the other. "This is not helping," the official said. Trump will continue to convene top-level intelligence briefings over the coming days, returning to Washington early from a weekend trip to his property in New Jersey to be updated at the White House. He has relied principally on CIA director John Ratcliffe and Joint Chiefs chairman Gen Dan Caine in meetings to discuss his options, according to people familiar with the matter. At the centre of the diplomatic efforts will be Witkoff, the president's friend and foreign envoy, who has led negotiations meant to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions. Witkoff began direct-messaging with his Iranian counterpart, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, earlier this month and the administration has maintained some communications with Iranian officials over the past tense days, as Trump weighed a strike. The plan Witkoff last offered to Tehran would have required Iran to eventually end all uranium enrichment on its soil and, on Thursday, the White House said it still viewed a ban on Iranian uranium enrichment as necessary to a final deal. As the Europeans head into Friday's meeting, they will be "taking the temperature" on how receptive the Iranians are to finding a diplomatic solution, given their belief that strikes in both directions are not a solution, a European official said. European leaders believe the risks of Iran's nuclear programme persist even amid Israel's strikes, because Tehran maintains nuclear know-how and may still have clandestine nuclear-related efforts that won't get demolished by military strikes. Meanwhile, most US diplomats who are not in Trump's inner circle at the State Department have not been given specific guidance to offer US allies on the diplomatic efforts, a US official and a European diplomat said. That has led to many frustrating discussions with foreign interlocutors as US diplomats have very few answers to give the allies as they try to determine their diplomatic and military posture in the region, pointing only to Trump's own words. Marco Rubio. Photo: Pool / AFP / Jacquelyn Martin As Trump has weighed his options, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been close by, also departing early from the Group of 7 summit in Canada along with the commander in chief earlier this week. On Monday, the top US diplomat spoke with his French, British and European Union counterparts about efforts to "encourage a diplomatic path that ensures Iran never develops a nuclear weapon", according to State Department readouts of the calls. On Wednesday, Rubio "compared notes" on the matter with the Norwegian foreign minister. Rubio met with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Thursday, before Lammy departed for the Geneva talks, and the two "agreed Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon", according to the State Department. "Meeting with Secretary of State Rubio and Special Envoy to the Middle East Witkoff in the White House today, we discussed how Iran must make a deal to avoid a deepening conflict," Lammy said in a statement Thursday. "A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution." US officials, including Witkoff, have also been actively engaged with officials in the region, many of whom have offered their help in mediating a diplomatic path forward. Sources said Iran had responded to messages from third parties, but their responses had not changed. - CNN

Otago Daily Times

5 hours ago

• Otago Daily Times

Trump to decide US' Israel-Iran action in next two weeks

President Donald Trump will decide in the next two weeks whether the U.S. will get involved in the Israel-Iran air war, the White House said, raising pressure on Tehran to come to the negotiating table. Citing a message from Trump, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks." The Republican president has kept the world guessing on his plans, veering from proposing a swift diplomatic solution to suggesting the U.S. might join the fighting on Israel's side. On Wednesday (local time), he said nobody knew what he would do. A day earlier he mused on social media about killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, then demanded Iran's unconditional surrender. The threats have caused cracks in Trump's support base between more hawkish traditional Republicans and the party's more isolationist elements. But critics said that in the five months since returning to office, Trump has issued a range of deadlines - including to warring Russia and Ukraine and to other countries in trade tariff negotiations - only to suspend those deadlines or allow them to slide. "I think going to war with Iran is a terrible idea, but no one believes this 'two weeks' bit," Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said on the social media platform X. "He's used it a million times before to pretend he might be doing something he's not. It just makes America look weak and silly." Leavitt told a regular briefing at the White House that Trump was interested in pursuing a diplomatic solution with Iran, but his top priority was ensuring that Iran could not obtain a nuclear weapon. She said any deal would have to prohibit enrichment of uranium by Tehran and eliminate Iran's ability to achieve a nuclear weapon. "The president is always interested in a diplomatic solution ... if there's a chance for diplomacy, the president's always going to grab it," Leavitt said. "But he's not afraid to use strength as well I will add." BYPASSING CONGRESS? Leavitt declined to say if Trump would seek congressional authorization for any strikes on Iran. Democrats have raised concerns over reports on CBS and other outlets that Trump has already approved a plan to attack Iran, bypassing Congress, which has the sole power to declare war. Leavitt said U.S. officials remained convinced that Iran had never been closer to obtaining a nuclear weapon, saying it would take Tehran just "a couple of weeks" to produce such a weapon. Leavitt's assessment contradicted congressional testimony in March from Trump's intelligence chief, Tulsi Gabbard. She said then that the U.S. intelligence community continued to judge that Tehran was not working on a nuclear warhead. This week, Trump dismissed Gabbard's March testimony, telling reporters: "I don't care what she said. I think they were very close to having one." On Wednesday, Trump lieutenant Steve Bannon urged caution about the U.S. joining Israel in trying to destroy Iran's nuclear program. Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran on Thursday and Iran fired missiles and drones at Israel after hitting an Israeli hospital overnight, as a week-old air war escalated and neither side showed any sign of an exit strategy. Leavitt said Trump had been briefed on the Israeli operation on Thursday and remained in close communication with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She said Iran was in "a deeply vulnerable position" and would face grave consequences if it did not agree to halt its work on a nuclear weapon. Iran has been weighing wider options in responding to the biggest security challenge since its 1979 revolution. Three diplomats told Reuters that Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi have spoken by phone several times since Israel began its strikes last week.

RNZ News

6 hours ago

• RNZ News

British foreign secretary says 'window now exists' for diplomacy with Iran

This handout picture provided by the Iranian Red Crescent on June 19, 2025 shows mourners during the funeral of two Iranian Red Crescent members who were killed the previous days during an Israeli strike in Tehran. Photo: AFP PHOTO / HO / IRANIAN RED CRESCENT On the eve of European talks with Iran over its nuclear program, Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Thursday (Friday NZ time) after meeting high-level US officials that there is still time to reach a diplomatic solution with Tehran. Lammy met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff at the White House, before talks on Friday (local time) in Geneva with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi alongside his French, German and EU counterparts. The diplomatic flurry came as European countries called for de-escalation in the face of Israel's bombing campaign against Iran's nuclear programme - and as US President Donald Trump weighs up whether or not to join the strikes against Tehran . David Lammy. Photo: PAUL ELLIS "The situation in the Middle East remains perilous," Lammy said in a statement released by the UK embassy in Washington. "We discussed how Iran must make a deal to avoid a deepening conflict. A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution," Lammy said. "Tomorrow, I will be heading to Geneva to meet with the Iranian foreign minister alongside my French, German and EU counterparts," the British minister said. "Now is the time to put a stop to the grave scenes in the Middle East and prevent a regional escalation that would benefit no one." The State Department said Lammy and Rubio had "agreed Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon". Araghchi earlier confirmed he would "meet with the European delegation in Geneva on Friday," in a statement carried by Iranian state news agency IRNA. The talks are set to include Lammy, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, as well as EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. Trump has said he is weighing military action against Iran's nuclear facilities as Israel pummels the country and Tehran responds with missile fire. France, Germany, Britain and the European Union were all signatories of the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, which Trump sunk during his first term in office . The EU's Kallas, in coordination with European countries, has insisted that diplomacy remains the best path towards ensuring that Iran does not develop a nuclear bomb. On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said European nations were planning to suggest a negotiated solution to end the Iran-Israel conflict. He asked his foreign minister to draw up an initiative with "close partners" to that end. Barrot has been in regular touch with his German and British counterparts since Israel launched massive air strikes against Iran on Friday. "We are ready to take part in negotiations aimed at obtaining from Iran a lasting rollback of its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes," Barrot said. Israel says its air campaign is aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons . Iran had been enriching uranium to 60 percent - far above the 3.67 percent limit set by a 2015 deal with international powers, but still short of the 90 percent threshold needed for a nuclear warhead. Iran denies it is building nuclear weapons. - AFP