Dubai (Reuters) – Iranians with some asking for retaliation, while others feared that the conflict meant more difficulties for a crisis -worn nation.
With Tehran and other cities shaken by a night of Israeli air strikes, some said they planned to leave for the neighboring Turkey, preparing for a climb after Israel signaled that their operation would continue “how many days were needed.”
“I woke up with a deafening explosion. The people on my street ran out of their panicked homes, we were all terrified,” said Marziyeh, 39, from Natanz city, which houses one of Iran’s nuclear facilities and where explosions were recorded.
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“I am deeply concerned about the security of my children if the situation gets worse,” said Marziyeh, one of the 20 people Reuters contacted in Iran for this report.
Israel said he attacked nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories, and military objectives in the operation which he said, aimed to prevent Tehran from building an atomic bomb. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.
In a first wave of panic, some Iranian citizens ran to banks to withdraw money on Friday morning.
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Masoud Mousavi, 51, a retired bank employee, said he was waiting for the exchange rates to buy Turkish Liras and take his family to Turkey by land, as airspace is closed.
“I am against any war. Any attack that kills innocent people. I will be in Türkiye with my family until this situation is over,” he said from the city of Shiraz.
Two exchange houses in Tehran said they were busier than usual, as people rushed to buy foreign currency after the attack.
“We have been through a lot. I do not support Israel’s attack and I understand that Iran’s leaders feel the need to retaliate,” said retired teacher Fariba Besharati, 64, who lives with her children and two grandchildren in Tabriz.
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Many Iranians still believe in Iran’s law to have a civil nuclear program, but some have said that now this is costing too much for the country.
“The price we are paying is very high. And now, a military attack, no, I don’t want misery anymore,” said Mohammadreza, 29, a teacher in the city of Chalus, in the north of the country.
