As dawn broke, U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran set off a rush to get out of cities and frantic attempts to reach relatives and the outside world. Roads heading out of major population centers jammed, and many people reported only intermittent internet access.
Activist Hoda Parvin said she had heard from about 70 to 80 people inside Iran who told her they had either a Starlink connection or spotty online service. NPR has not independently verified those messages, and many sources are not named because they fear retaliation.
One woman who asked to remain unidentified described being in northern Tehran and walking into the city center just as the strikes began around 9:30 a.m. She said the timing and the noise made the situation feel immediate and terrifying.
A 39-year-old who gave only her initials, S-A, recounted being in a gym when she heard screaming and shouting. She and others rushed out, only to be caught in heavy, slow-moving traffic. What should have been a 15-minute trip home took two and a half to three hours.
On the road, S-A said, drivers pounded their steering wheels and played loud music. At one point she left her car at the side of the road and walked part of the way home until traffic eased enough for her to return and park.
At home, many people prepared for the possibility that services would be interrupted. S-A described following instructions to tape up windows, stock water, prepare food rations and pack an emergency bag. ‘‘We’ve done all those things,’’ she said, adding that they now wait nervously to know when it will be safe to return to normal life.
Iranian state media reported at least 200 people were killed in the strikes by Saturday, a figure carried by local broadcasters. Among Iranians opposed to the government, reactions varied. A woman identified only by her initials, E-S, said she supported U.S. efforts to help remove the government, acknowledging the heavy toll such actions could take on civilians and loved ones.
Some who oppose the regime said the mood felt different from last summer’s strikes by Israel and the U.S. One unidentified woman compared the current attacks to the earlier Twelve-Day war, saying that while her family had been afraid then, she now heard more relief and anticipation from people she knows.
For many inside Iran, the immediate future remains uncertain. People are waiting — for news, for the next developments, and for clarity on what will come after the strikes.