State of the World from NPR A glimpse of one Iranian’s life in Tehran during the war
Mar 13, 2026
A Tehran writer shares diary entries from amid airstrikes, describing rooftop reactions and the tense atmosphere. She explains living anonymously for safety and the fear of arrest. Friends band together as windows shake and flights roar overhead. Strikes on oil depots coat streets in soot and spark worries that hope for change is fading.
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Diary From Tehran Celebrating First Strikes
- An Iranian writer in Tehran documented celebrating initial U.S. and Israeli strikes and chanting against the regime from rooftops.
- She describes friends sheltering together, roof-clapping when targets were hit, and feeling the sky smell of gunpowder and freedom after strikes on IRGC sites.
Internet Blackouts Deepen War Isolation
- Internet shutdowns forced Iranians to buy expensive illegal VPN access, leaving communication patchy during bombardment.
- This digital blackout made voice and video messaging risky and costly, increasing fear and information scarcity amid the strikes.
Hiding By The Entrance During Close Airstrikes
- The writer recounts sleeping by a window and being terrified when a fighter jet sounded so close she thought it would hit the house.
- She and friends moved to a concrete-backed entrance area as an improvised shelter away from windows.