Amid Iran war, civilians trapped between bombs and regime, thousands killed and tensions escalate

The ongoing US-Israeli war against Iran has caused a major communications blackout, leaving many Iranians unreachable. Civilians face airstrikes on residential areas and oil depots, chemical risks from smoke and acid rain, and no access to bomb shelters or alerts. Over 1,200 civilians, including at least 194 children, have been killed, and the Iranian leadership has appointed Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader following the death of Ali Khamenei. Human rights groups warn of a worsening humanitarian crisis.

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The ongoing war involving the United States and Israel against Iran has triggered a renewed communications blackout across the country, leaving many people inside unable to communicate with the outside world through phone calls or the internet. The disruption has made it extremely difficult for residents to reach relatives abroad or access reliable information about the unfolding conflict.
Despite the blackout, journalists managed to contact a single mother from Tehran who fled the Iranian capital with her child on the third night of the war last week. The 42-year-old photographer said she decided to leave after witnessing an attack close to her home.
“I left the city after a building on our street was bombed,” she said, recalling the terrifying moments when multiple rockets struck the neighborhood.
Initially, the woman said she believed the attacks would be limited to targeted strikes against senior Iranian officials. She assumed she could remain safely inside her apartment building and hoped the military campaign might eventually lead to political change in the country.
However, as bombardments intensified and explosions struck nearby buildings, she realized it was too dangerous to stay. Choosing to remain anonymous for security reasons, she quickly left the city with her child and drove to stay with relatives living on the outskirts of Tehran. She said she felt relieved to be away from the capital, where the situation has become increasingly dangerous.
Those who remain in the city are now facing additional risks beyond the airstrikes. Environmental concerns have emerged after several attacks hit oil depots around the Iranian capital, sending thick black smoke into the sky. Authorities have warned that potential acid rain could occur because of chemical pollutants released during the strikes.
Dark clouds of smoke have hovered over parts of the metropolis, which has a population of nearly 10 million people. Iran’s environmental agency has urged residents to stay indoors, while the national Red Crescent warned that rainfall in the affected areas could contain substances harmful to the skin and lungs.
Oil storage facilities are not the only sites that have been struck. Multiple attacks have also reportedly hit residential areas and infrastructure across the city. Civilians have reportedly been killed in several strikes, raising concerns among human rights observers.
Residents say they are also struggling with a lack of emergency guidance. Authorities have reportedly not activated air raid sirens or provided access to bomb shelters, leaving ordinary people uncertain about how to protect themselves during the attacks.
Many residents have also been unable or unwilling to leave Tehran because of their jobs, families, or financial constraints. For them, fleeing the city is not an option.
The US-based organization Human Rights Activists News Agency estimates that more than 1,200 civilians have already been killed in Iran since the conflict began. Among the dead are at least 194 children. The group also reported that 187 Iranian troops have died, while the status of another 316 casualties remains unclear.
One particularly devastating incident involved the deaths of at least 110 schoolchildren between the ages of 7 and 12. They were killed in an airstrike on a girls’ school in the southern Iranian city of Minab on February 28. Officials in United States have said they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the attack.
Moin Khazaeli, an Iranian human rights researcher based in Sweden, said the conflict has led to widespread violations of international humanitarian norms.
“No party in this war is playing by the rules,” he said.
Khazaeli argued that infrastructure such as oil depots and residential areas should not be targeted. He also criticized the Iranian government for failing to protect its own population.
“There are no bomb shelters, no air raid alerts, and no information telling people how to behave now that the internet is shut down,” he said.
Khazaeli added that international organizations should step in to ensure that Iranian civilians receive humanitarian assistance during the crisis.
The exiled political scientist also blamed the Iranian leadership for the current situation and said global institutions should push the government toward a peaceful political transition that would allow citizens to determine their country’s future.
However, for many Iranians, the idea of political change remains distant. Some critics of the government had previously hoped the United States might attempt regime change through targeted strikes against senior leaders.
Those expectations grew after the airstrike on the Tehran residence of Ali Khamenei during the first day of the conflict. The attack reportedly killed the supreme leader along with several high-ranking officials and military commanders.
Despite the shock of that event, hopes for a rapid collapse of the government appear to be fading as the conflict continues. Although the ruling establishment appears shaken by the ongoing strikes, it has not collapsed.
Surviving clerical leaders have already moved to appoint a new supreme leader, naming Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late ayatollah, as the successor.
As the war drags on, civilians across Iran remain caught between escalating military attacks, political uncertainty, and a deepening humanitarian crisis.