Iran: Everyday life between bombs and hopelessness

ByEditor

Mar 19, 2026

Iran: Everyday life between bombs and hopelessness

After almost three weeks of war, many Iranians are at war Uncertainty and frustration. March is actually one of the most beautiful times in Iran. The Persian New Year festival of Norus begins on Friday. But the bazaars and shopping arcades are empty. Many retailers sit frustrated in their stores, like residents of the capital Teheran tell. Others have given up hope and have already closed their businesses.

Many families are stuck in their homes. “My wife and I don’t know what to do,” says Jawad, a 72-year-old pensioner. “How long is this going to go on? Nobody has an answer!” The former bank employee says he actually supports military force to change power.

“Even after three weeks of war, the regime is still there, but the country and its people are at an end,” he says. “If they now attack the police stations and oil and gas fields, one thing will happen true chaos. No more security, more crime and eventually no electricity.”

“I have no hope in this country anymore”

Sana actually still goes to school. The 18-year-old had hoped that the government would fall quickly. A good three weeks after the start of the war, however, worries and hopelessness dominate their everyday lives. “This country is being completely destroyed,” she says. While schools remain closed, she tries to distract herself with books and anime every day. After the war she wants to emigrate. “I have no hope in this country anymore,” she says.

Amin is a year younger. He’s not afraid when the fighter jets thunder over the rooftops, as he says. Despite the bombings in the capital, he still meets up with friends for soccer training, goes to parks and plays video games. “My generation is fearless and grows up with war,” he says. “But what really worries me is the future. All the plans I had for my life are now under the heavy shadow of war,” he says, disappointed. “In the end, it is our generation that has to bear the costs of this war,” says the 17-year-old.

Banafsheh lives in the west of the capital and metropolis Tehran. When the deaths of leading statesmen are announced, she feels glee. She is of the opinion that we have to endure the war. “The regime wouldn’t have gone away voluntarily with nice words, so you had to speak to it in the language it knows. And that is violence,” says the 41-year-old. The alternative would be to come to terms with the state leadership. “If we want change, these hard times are the price,” she says.