Grief, rage, solidarity: Iranians under fire, out of sight

The war may have begun as a clash between Israel and the Islamic Republic, but for many Iranians now caught in the crossfire, it has become an intimate reality, marked by both grief and rare solidarity.

In the wake of mass evacuations from Tehran and other cities, a wave of grassroots support has emerged.

Iranians across social media are offering shelter, food, and medical help. Families far from the strikes are hosting refugees, doctors are providing free virtual consultations, and volunteers are caring for the elderly, infirm, and even abandoned pets.

“This is the least I can do now,” wrote Yasser Saiedy, an Iranian cardiologist based in Germany, offering remote consultations on X.

Others share stories of restraint—people letting others buy bread first, rationing water, making sure no one is left behind. Acts of solidarity, unfolding in the shadow of devastation.

A war without warning

Israeli airstrikes have hit Tehran and other cities with little or no notice, drawing criticism from many Iranians and some international observers.

One strike on Tehran’s District 18, near Mehrabad Airport, came just over an hour after a 2:00 AM warning. Activists noted the area’s high population of child laborers and street children.

“Under no circumstances is the death of children justifiable,” wrote Hamed Farmand of the International Coalition for Children with Incarcerated Parents. “Just as the death and starvation of Palestinian children has no name other than murder and genocide.”

Some of the over 320 civilian casualties of Israel's attacks

Iranian authorities have also faced criticism for failing to sound sirens, issue warnings or war-time guidelines through state media.

“It still hasn’t occurred to anyone to sound a siren or even issue a radio warning,” Tehran resident Sahar Karimi posted on X. “Ordinary people are dying, nobody cares?”

The government has released no official death toll, but rights groups report over 320 civilian deaths, including dozens of children.

Outrage and despair

The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) condemned the violence on Wednesday, denouncing “the deliberate targeting of civilians” and calling for an immediate ceasefire and a path to diplomacy.

London-based human rights lawyer Shadi Sadr called Israel’s evacuation warnings a form of forced displacement.

“The forcible displacement of a civilian population is a crime against humanity under international law. Full stop,” she wrote.

Frustration deepened after US President Donald Trump urged people to evacuate Tehran—a suggestion many called detached from reality.

Nobel Peace Laureate Narges Mohammadi responded promptly, reminding those ordering people to flee that Tehran is not only home to millions of people, but thousands of schools, hospitals, and businesses.

“Which of them are we meant to carry on our shoulders to save from death and devastation,” she asked in an Instagram post. “Do not destroy my city. End this war.”

No side feels like home

As the war drags on, many Iranians—at home and in exile—say they can’t side with either party to the conflict.

“This was not our war,” Sadr wrote, “but it is increasingly becoming ours, as our loved ones are being taken hostage by two criminal states.”

In the early days, some Iranians welcomed the strikes, hoping for a quick end to the regime.

“You know what is the worst nightmare of every Iranian now,” an exiled activist posted on X, “that US and Israel, having started this destruction, do not finish it, leaving the people of Iran to the hard and brutal days that the Islamic Republic will unleash upon us once it is over.”

In Tehran—in the midst of it all—perspective and tone is slightly different.

“They thought it would end with (supreme leader Ali) Khamenei’s death and the regime collapsing,” Abbas, a 46-year-old office worker in Tehran, says in a message on an encrypted app. “But as war drags on, they’ll realize that that was never a priority for Israel.”