Hours after the roar of fighter planes and massive explosions in an unusually quiet Tehran on Sunday, the sulfurous smell of explosives still lingered in the air.
Apart from plumes of gray and black smoke swirling into the sky, Tehran’s skyline – usually obscured by smog and pollution – was unusually clear, with the backdrop of the mountains that surround the city still clearly visible.
In the areas around Vanak Square in central Tehran, where a giant bronze statue depicts Persian mythology hero Arash the Archer releasing his arrow, people were busy cleaning glass from windows broken by the attacks.
But others, emerging from a sleepless night, were leaving town. Major exit routes towards northern cities were turned into one-way streets filled with outbound traffic after the government urged residents to evacuate Tehran if possible. The families that survived mostly stayed indoors. Amidst the sounds of the explosions, the normally chaotic city became completely silent.
Shirin, a Tehran resident who had initially planned to stay, quickly packed up to leave for Damavand, east of Tehran, after the bombing near her home on central Sohreverdi Street.
“I can’t face this fear by staying here,” she said.
Israel and the US launched a massive air campaign against Tehran on Saturday morning, targeting key security and military sites. The attacks, which killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior military commanders, continued on Sunday.
Maryam, who lives in the Jordan neighborhood of central Tehran, said she felt devastated after Sunday’s deadly bombing.
As an opponent of the regime, she initially advocated US-Israeli attacks on Iran, but now said tearfully: “I can’t stand it. I fear most for my children… It feels as if we are being held hostage by this regime.”
The attacks brought back painful memories of Israel’s 12-day war against Iran last year, in which the US was briefly involved.
Iranians still disagree with the authorities’ crackdown on anti-regime protesters in January, which left thousands dead.
Around Tehran, plainclothes officers directed traffic away from bombed areas. On Niayesh Highway in northwestern Tehran, orange-clad municipal workers cleared bombing debris while security forces instructed motorists to proceed with caution. Ambulances and fire engines were deployed on the highway.
Heavy security arrangements were visible throughout the city. Security forces on motorcycles and armored vehicles were deployed on main roads. In Vanak, an armed soldier was standing on top of a pickup truck, observing the surroundings. Security checkpoints inspected vehicles on some roads.
Only a small number of residents came out to buy basic supplies on Sunday. All public places except grocery stores and supermarkets were closed, as authorities declared a seven-day public holiday to mourn the death of Iran’s supreme leader.
Several members of the Ayatollah’s family, including his daughter-in-law, son-in-law and a grandson, were also confirmed dead in the attack.
Some of Khamenei’s opponents celebrated the news of his death by shouting from their windows, while videos from provincial Iranian cities showed people dancing in response to the news.
But mourning was also observed by regime supporters. Large posters of Khamenei were put up outside a large mosque in Saadat Abad’s Kaz Square in western Tehran, which was undergoing renovation after being damaged during January anti-regime protests.
At the square, one of the planned mourning sites, temporary stations were set up to distribute food and drinks for the Ramadan iftar meal.
Pro-regime demonstrations were the only activity in the otherwise peaceful city. Thousands of regime supporters gathered at the iconic Enghelab Square for a mourning procession, waving national flags and taking photographs of Khamenei. More celebrations were planned in several main squares in Tehran on Sunday evening.
Officials tried to reassure the public that essential goods – from food to petrol, medicine and even infant formula – would remain available. He said mobile fuel delivery services would be deployed on inter-city roads.
At a municipal fresh produce market in northern Tehran, only a handful of shoppers moved quietly between the stalls. Long lines were formed outside petrol pumps.
Reports of civilian casualties have further increased residents’ fears. More than 150 schoolgirls were killed in Saturday’s strike in the southern city of Minab in Hormuzgan province, officials said. On Sunday, Iran’s Red Crescent said 57 people had been killed by noon in Tehran province, without specifying how many were civilians.
Cash was available at some ATMs, but many others were closed. The central bank said it would continue to supply cash to banks, and also doubled the daily limit for online banking transfers.
Fresh attacks took place in east, southeast and central Tehran on Sunday evening, the IRNA news agency reported.
Around town, the prevailing feeling was of shock. Zohreh, a resident of Tehran’s Shariati Street, where the strike occurred on Sunday, said the explosion was “huge”. “The shock of the explosion was so strong that it felt as if we were lifted from the ground and thrown onto the roof,” he said.
