by Jerusalem Post Staff
As 40 days of mourning end and US forces mass in the region, voices from Tehran and Mashhad speak of anger, fear and hope for change.
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As tensions mount in the Middle East and US President Donald Trump is said to be nearing a decision on a major military move against the Islamic Republic, three Iranian citizens told N12 News that they believe American action may be their only opportunity to return to the streets and challenge the regime in Tehran.
The interviews, published on Wednesday, come as 40 days of mourning conclude for protesters killed in the recent unrest, and US military reinforcements continue to arrive in the region by land and sea.
In Tehran and Mashhad, anticipation is running high. While Iran’s leadership has warned of military retaliation in the event of escalation, ordinary citizens told the Israeli outlet that they are closely following what they describe as an unprecedented US force buildup.
Sona, a Tehran local, described a mixture of grief, rage, and cautious optimism.
“For a long time now, I have been impatiently waiting for the start of military action against the Islamic Republic, and I hope that this time it will be an attack that ends the matter once and for all,” she told N12.
Yet her anxiety, she said, stems not from the prospect of war but from diplomacy.
Memories of the crackdown remain fresh
“Naturally, I am also tense right now, but not because of war, rather because of the possibility that an agreement will be signed that prevents this attack,” Sona said.
Asked what might drive people back into the streets, she replied, “I don’t think Iran and the Iranian people have a more dangerous war than the continued existence of the Islamic Republic in power. The people are very angry. They are in mourning and in pain. Each of these factors alone could increase the likelihood that people will go out into the streets.”
Still, she acknowledged that memories of the regime’s violent crackdown remain fresh.
“Forty days ago, we witnessed a complete massacre in the streets. You cannot expect people to go out again and willingly place themselves in front of the bullets of the Islamic Republic,” she said. “But whenever there is a call to return to the streets, I will certainly participate and support it.”
In Mashhad, another citizen, Alireza, told N12 that scattered protests are continuing in several cities, even amid arrests and reported fatalities.
“We are still waiting for Trump’s promise when he said ‘Our finger is on the trigger,’” Alireza said. “Yesterday, there were protests in Mashhad, Abdanan, Malekshahi, and many other cities.”
He added that reports indicated five more people had been killed in Abdanan and that more than 400 people were arrested in the village of Chenar in the Hamadan province during a 40-day memorial ceremony where anti-regime slogans were chanted.
'Be the voice of the Iranian people'
“We, the Iranian people, are in mourning and waiting for the opportunity to return to the streets, to complete the unfinished work of tens of thousands of young people who were killed and to topple the mullahs,” Alireza said.
He argued that US military backing could be decisive.
“The military support that the US president promised us could help us achieve this goal. I hope he keeps his promise,” he said.
Addressing Israelis directly, Alireza added, “I ask the people of Israel to be the voice of the Iranian people. We are at war against radical Islam, which you have been fighting for years. Our victory is your victory. Pray for us. Long live Iran.”
Hamid, also from Tehran, described a society on edge, battered by economic hardship and distrustful of negotiations.
“The tension and fear of war still exist,” he said. “On the one hand, there is talk of negotiations, which many believe are not serious and will not yield results.”
According to Hamid, both Washington and Tehran are using diplomacy tactically.
“The Islamic Republic is buying time and playing for time, and the US, it seems, wants to present this as justification and grounds to attack Iran,” he said.
'No one is doing well'
Meanwhile, he painted a grim economic picture.
“Everyone is on edge. The economic situation is terrible, and everyone is certain that next year will be even worse. There will be higher inflation. The market is not functioning logically or reasonably. For example, in raw materials and food products, the costs are extremely high,” he said.
Even government assistance cards, he noted, offer only minimal relief.
“The only thing that perhaps helps a little is the government aid cards, and even that is in a very limited and meager amount, to the point that even more established segments of society are using them. In practice, no one is doing well.”
Despite his fears, Hamid said that if war does come, he hopes it is swift and decisive.
“My opinion, and that of many of my relatives, is that if there is a war, we hope it will be a decisive and final war, without harming too many ordinary civilians and without damaging essential infrastructure like water, electricity, and gas,” he said. “In other words, that in the short term it will lead to the elimination of the heads of the Islamic Republic and the surrender of the regime.”
Tobias Siegal contributed to this report.
Jerusalem Post Staff
Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-887204
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