We Just Want Peace' Views From Tehran As Fear Grips Civilian Life

Asal* had been expecting the US to bomb Iran, just not so soon.

- William Christou Shah Meer Baloch Deepa Parent

The 22-year-old Tehran University student had believed Donald Trump when his administration said on Thursday that it would wait up to two weeks before deciding whether to attack Iran, apparently to give diplomacy a chance. And so at 4am when the newscaster announced the bombing on TV, Asal was in disbelief. She rushed to wake her father and the rest of the family, who huddled together in front of the set as the sounds of the news blended with those of bombings elsewhere in the city.

"We weren't expecting it yet. But we knew one way or another the US would take part in it," Asal said from Tehran. "We are dead worried. You know, sleep doesn't come so easy these past few days."

Iranians woke to the news yesterday morning that the unthinkable had finally happened: the US had attacked Iran. The news was met with panic in Iran. It prompted a renewed wave of displacement in Tehran as people feared a more intensified assault on the city now that the US was involved.