Until that moment the war was something happening in other parts of Tehran. It had not touched the lives of 'Setareh' and her colleagues. Then she heard an ominous noise and vibrations reached into the office. She called out to her workmates: 'I think it's a bomb.' They left their desks and climbed the stairs to the roof of the building. 'We saw smoke rising into the sky, but we didn't know what place had been targeted,' she recalls. 'After that, everyone working in the company panicked. People were shouting and screaming and running away. For one to two hours the situation stayed like that—complete chaos.' That same day her boss shut the business and laid off his staff.
Now, the nightly bombing has stolen her ability to sleep naturally. 'I can honestly say I haven't slept for several nights and days in a row. I try to relax by taking very strong painkillers so I can sleep. The anxiety is so intense that it has affected my body. When I think about the future and imagine those conditions, I truly don't know what to do.' By 'those conditions,' she means economic hardship and her fear of future street fighting between the regime and its enemies. The war has cost Setareh her job and she is running out of money. Millions of Iranians are in a similar position. Even before the war, the economy was in deep crisis, with food prices rising by 60% in the previous year.
'I don't know how this massive wave of unemployment will be handled. There is no support system and the government will do nothing for all these unemployed people. I believe the real war will start if this war ends without any outcome.'
We received information from sources on the ground in six different cities who described growing economic pressure and hoped that the war might bring about the fall of the government. As tensions rise amidst bombings and civil unrest, the people of Iran continue to live in a state of fear and uncertainty, with many calling for an end to the regime's repressive hold on society.
Now, the nightly bombing has stolen her ability to sleep naturally. 'I can honestly say I haven't slept for several nights and days in a row. I try to relax by taking very strong painkillers so I can sleep. The anxiety is so intense that it has affected my body. When I think about the future and imagine those conditions, I truly don't know what to do.' By 'those conditions,' she means economic hardship and her fear of future street fighting between the regime and its enemies. The war has cost Setareh her job and she is running out of money. Millions of Iranians are in a similar position. Even before the war, the economy was in deep crisis, with food prices rising by 60% in the previous year.
'I don't know how this massive wave of unemployment will be handled. There is no support system and the government will do nothing for all these unemployed people. I believe the real war will start if this war ends without any outcome.'
We received information from sources on the ground in six different cities who described growing economic pressure and hoped that the war might bring about the fall of the government. As tensions rise amidst bombings and civil unrest, the people of Iran continue to live in a state of fear and uncertainty, with many calling for an end to the regime's repressive hold on society.
