'It feels like a missile is following me': Iranians speak out amid relentless bombings

After days of relentless tit-for-tat strikes between Israel and Iran, daily life across Iran has taken a dark turn, marked by fear, disrupted routines, and deep uncertainty. For many civilians, the war feels inescapable. “This is war,” a 58-year-old father of two in Tehran told CNN, adding, “no one really understands what that means.”

As reports from inside Iran, contact with the outside world has become increasingly difficult. Internet access is patchy, phone lines unreliable. Only a few, mostly wealthy activists, have access to Starlink terminals providing independent connectivity. Most voices interviewed by CNN requested anonymity out of fear of state reprisal.

Shops remain open, but cash is hard to come by. In Shiraz, a 55-year-old English teacher described long queues at banks and exhausted workers unable to meet withdrawal requests. In Tehran, some stores are allowing customers to buy on credit due to issues accessing funds from Sepah Bank. “Gasoline is useless to us because we have nowhere to go outside Tehran,” said the father.

A conscript soldier, 27, said that he feels targeted by the very skies above him: “It feels like a missile is following me. I go to Karaj and they bomb there. I come to Tehran and they bomb here.” Confined by military rules, he can’t even check the news.

In Shiraz, a hairdresser expressed helplessness: “You watch the videos, the photos. People are being killed, our country is being looted.” Another resident said, “Rebuilding all this may take decades, if not longer, and in the end it’s we the people who will have to bear the cost.”

According to Iranian officials, more than 200 people have been killed so far. Israel’s strikes have reportedly targeted key military and nuclear infrastructure, but Iran accuses it of hitting energy and digital systems as well.

Not everyone sees the strikes as unjustified. A nurse from Mashad said, “We are paying the price for a dictatorship and its arrogance.” A student from Shiraz added bluntly, “I’m genuinely happy… it’s worth it, for the sake of future generations.”

Meanwhile, tensions have surged with US President Donald Trump teasing the involvement of American aircraft in the conflict. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei dismissed Trump’s call for surrender, warning, “America’s involvement… would 100% be at their loss.”

Still, defiance is growing. “I lost a son during the Iran-Iraq War,” a 78-year-old mosque caretaker in Isfahan told CNN. “I’ll be happy to fight America and the Zionists again.”

As nationalism grows and flags fly from car windows, Iranians brace for more. “Now that Trump has come this far, he will see it through to the end,” said an engineering student in Mashad. “They don’t let a wounded bear go free.”