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The killing of Iran’s tyrannical Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday in an unprecedented joint military attack by the US and Israel called Operation Epic Fury set off widespread celebrations from Iranians around the world — as President Trump said it would give them their “greatest chance” to “take back the country.” Meanwhile, in Iran, a lack of internet has made it impossible for Iranians to easily communicate daily conditions. Over a period of three days, with limited VPN connection, an eyewitness currently in Tehran — who, for her safety, is concealing her identity — shared her account of life under a country in the midst of battle with The Post’s Natasha Pearlman.
The scumbags are everywhere — and by scumbags, I mean the Iranian forces.
Two days ago, on Shariati Street, which is close to a big hospital, they were stationed with pickup trucks, pointing their machine guns at people walking past.
They make themselves look terrifying; they cover their entire faces so only their eyes are visible, and they just stare at people. It seems like they just want to intimidate everyone. Everything I’m telling you is what I’ve seen with my own eyes; it’s not just something I heard — it’s my own direct observation.
Then, there are many of these militia men on motorcycles, riding in pairs — one driving and one on the back holding a club or a weapon — just going up and down the streets. For about two nights now, around 8 or 9 p.m., they gather a bunch of idiots to chant “Allah Akbar” and “Death to Israel.”
They turn on speakers with loud “Noha” (mourning chants) and other nonsense all along Dowlat and Shariati streets. These crazies are everywhere.
But as frightening as this is, many people are happy. Because, finally, the attacks on our persecutors have come.
Generally, for about a month now, there’s been a “war vibe.” But for the two weeks before the war actually started, it was much more intense. Everyone was talking about it. We were preparing things we might need if something happened.
Everyone was out buying food supplies; it was quite strange. But what was very interesting was that 70% of the people were, like, “God, let them hit soon. Why aren’t they hitting?”
Every day when people saw each other, they’d say, “Hello, how are you? Oh, man, they still haven’t hit.” That’s how people were.
Regarding the security atmosphere, in Tehran and larger places, they set up many checkpoints in the streets during this time, mostly to annoy and intimidate people.
But no one was cowed.
The day the attacks started — because people don’t have any internet — it wasn’t easy to know what was going on. Everyone was turned into Iran International, the television network, to follow as much as they could.
Then, when they reported the news of Khamenei being killed, everyone’s phones started ringing. I was with my friends at someone’s house, and within five minutes of the news getting out, we could hear screaming, clapping and cheering from all the houses.
The night turned late, and around midnight, a bunch of us went outside. There, we saw people had poured into the streets. They’d come in cars and on foot.
Most of the women were without hijabs, which was incredible to see.
Then we also heard that the regime had told the militia and the soldiers that they had been given permission to shoot anyone they saw celebrating.
But what was weird was that these checkpoints were manned by mostly young kids — maybe 17 or 18. They’d clearly just been given guns and told to stand there to scare people.
It sounds strange to say, but even in the midst of these internal threats, and even as bombs drop, people are happy.
Yesterday, a friend of ours had surgery, and we went to the hospital nearby. In the hospital elevator, there were six of us: five were nurses (three we knew, plus two others), and one person was saying, “Oh, this is such a bad event, they are hitting ordinary people,” because we were in a hospital and had seen things.
But then two of those same nurses turned around and said, “Well, it’s war after all, but we are all very happy. In the end, we are going to be free.”
Even in these tough, stressful conditions, we are very happy — thank God they hit them.
Khamenei is finally dead, and people are truly happy.
Everyone is following the news, waiting to see who gets taken out next. There’s this wave of energy. Among the youth, this feeling is very intense.
But you can’t say they aren’t stressed or worried, because even though the missiles they fire are very precise and hit their targets, the intensity of the explosions can still affect ordinary people in houses nearby.
And those who are a bit older are more stressed because they remember the conditions and the war from 1980 to 1988.
Also, everything is closed: all the shops. It’s near Nowruz (Persian New Year, commencing Friday, March 20) in Iran, which is the peak of sales, but everyone was forced to close. So there is anxiety, but people are genuinely happy.
One thing that is interesting to us: during that 12-day war that happened in June 2025, people fled toward the north, or other places, to hide and stay safe.
But this time — now — only a few have left on the first or second day; the rest stayed in Tehran, and we are living oddly normally. People aren’t leaving because it’s like they have so much trust in Israel and America hitting their targets.
That’s why when you go out, the shops are closed, but cars are still moving in the streets — life seems much more normal than during those 12 days last year.
What comes next? Who do we want to take over the country?
Certainly, the majority are now supporters of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled Iranian crown prince. Whoever you talk to says Pahlavi will come, the Shah will come. But now there are conflicting reports about Khamenei’s son wanting to succeed him — it’s unclear if he’s dead or alive — but people are very worried about this.
I’m one of those people who is worried; I don’t think the regime will let go of this country easily. But most people want them gone.
There is a lot of talk about someone being chosen from within Iran, because they say Reza Pahlavi hasn’t been in Iran and hasn’t experienced or known certain things. But right now, the majority support Reza Pahlavi.
As for me and those I am close to, we are truly happy this happened.
We go onto the rooftop with such excitement when the bombs are falling, to see where is being hit next. Then we start dancing, clapping and celebrating — like, “Yes! They hit another spot where these scumbags were!”
We hope things get settled soon in favor of the people. It’s a stressful situation, but we are actually doing well together, enjoying — if that’s not too strange a word — the war situation.
All we can hope for is that something good happens for everyone. And that “something good” is the Islamic Republic going.
But they need to be hit and destroyed — because they won’t leave normally.
Everywhere else in the world, when there’s a war, even if there are no sirens like in Iran, they keep the internet on so that, for example, when Israel announces to stay away from certain areas, people can understand. But these bastards cut it on purpose so that more people die. That makes the situation much worse.
But still, people here will accept the way things are in Tehran, so long as the regime is gone. Yesterday, a woman said to me, “I want them gone, even at the cost of my own life. Just let them be gone.”
People have reached that point.
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