The airstrikes are still escalating: "One missile comes in, and windows on four or five streets are shattered."

(Source: The Observer)

Editor’s note: The Iran conflict has already lasted a full month. Although the United States has recently repeatedly issued signals of negotiations, Tehran has not seen the calm that was expected. Instead, U.S.-led and Israeli airstrikes are still happening very frequently—more often than before, with no letup. “It doesn’t feel like it’s weakening; it feels like it’s being escalated continuously.” After experiencing 30 days of brutal fighting and the evolution of a complex situation, what is Tehran’s current situation like? And how do ordinary people view this unresolved war? We once again connected with Phoenx Television reporter Li Rui, who is at the center of the storm. The following is a transcript of what she said in the interview:

In the past few days, the sound of airstrikes in Tehran has been very loud, and the timing has also been very long. Sometimes it’s even that every hour there are bombings.

I think nowhere in Tehran is safe. For ordinary people, it’s hard to sleep soundly at night, and during the day people are also on edge—constantly tense, nerves tight, and afraid of that kind of uncertainty. People worry that the war will keep escalating, with power cuts and water outages, not knowing when artillery shells might land on their own heads. Because many civilian facilities are being targeted now, that’s really frightening—especially residential areas, I think.

Like local residents who have also experienced a month of fighting, my biggest feeling is that ordinary people are very pitiful—they’re the biggest victims of war. The places I went to interview, what I saw were mostly ruins. In Rey (Note: an ancient Iranian city and a key area for studying ancient Persian culture, 14 kilometers from Tehran), I saw a house that was hit by a missile. That area is where middle-to-lower class, even bottom-tier people live—there are many people, and many houses are unauthorized construction. It’s very dense, and the quality of the houses is also poor. So once a missile goes over, the windows on four or five streets are all smashed. There are holes in the walls of the houses. All the glass falls down, and many people can’t leave because they don’t have money. They can only live in such a house full of holes with no glass.

You see, under war conditions, ordinary people don’t just have to face the explosions themselves. They also have insomnia, tension, fear, work stoppages, unemployment, no internet, and pressure from rising prices. So people still hope life can return to normal and the war can end as soon as possible.

But the current situation is uncertain. It could escalate, or it could lead to talks—everyone is watching. I think both sides are in a stalemate, and the ceasefire conditions they propose are hard for each other to accept. Besides, the attacks are getting more and more intense, and the United States is also continuing to deploy more troops. So many people don’t believe it—they think the U.S. is actually laying groundwork for the next step of military strikes, buying time. That’s why it’s hard to say that the most dangerous moment has already passed.

Tehran is a diverse society, and many people have different ideas. Public emotions are complicated. On the one hand, everyone is extremely exhausted and wants stability, wants to restore their lives. On the other hand, they may not be willing to accept negotiations that are seen as “producing no results,” or a ceasefire that is seen as surrender. They don’t want to see these costs paid in vain. Perhaps some opponents once hoped for the U.S. and its allies to achieve the goal of regime change, but now more people are seeing destruction—ruin and death. Supporters, of course, believe that the fighting must go on until victory in order to end it; they can’t just stop the war like this. At least, they should make the U.S. pay and apologize. Because Iran is being hit so severely right now, with facilities damaged, people’s houses also need money to be built or repaired. People want this kind of outcome to have an answer.

But I believe that as the war continues step by step, people’s mindset will also change, and some voices will become clearer and clearer.

Headline: Special Live Connection | Airstrikes are still escalating: “One missile comes, and the windows on four or five streets are all shattered”

Section editor: Shao Hui, Wu Honghao Text editor: Wu Honghao

Source: Author: Special Correspondent Li Rui

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