DUBAI, March 3 (Reuters) – Terrified residents of Tehran described Iran’s capital as a ghost town on Tuesday, its streets largely empty from a barrage of missiles from the United States and Israel, except for security checkpoints and Revolutionary Guard patrols roaming the city.
Airstrikes have killed hundreds of Iranians since Saturday, while Israeli and American leaders have expressed hopes that they will provoke an uprising, but Reuters found no evidence that this was imminent in telephone conversations with people across the country.
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“There are checkpoints on every street and alley,” said Fariba Gerami, 27, who works for a company in northern Tehran, where her husband runs a small coffee shop.
Electricity and water cuts since the bombing began have further heightened her fears, and at night she and her friends worry that thieves will break into their apartments, she said.
The family plans to leave Iran as soon as it is safe, but they worry about road safety, she added.
His account was corroborated by two Iranians who arrived in Türkiye through a border crossing on Tuesday and described scenes of tension and fear in the capital.
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‘The children were screaming and crying,’ said an Iranian, who did not want to reveal his name, adding that the civilian structures hit by the attacks caused fear among the city’s residents.
The second man said the destruction was widespread. ‘We saw many buildings destroyed, especially on the way out of the country. There were several buildings, several cars and destroyed streets. People are panicking to leave the country. They don’t know what to do,’ he said.
(Reporting by Parisa Hafezi in Dubai; Additional reporting by Ismet Mikailogullari in Kapikoy, Türkiye, and Ali Kucukgocmen in Istanbul)
