Fear and Shortages Grip Iran as US-Israeli Air Strikes Intensify
Fear and shortages grip Iran as US-Israeli air strikes continue to batter the country, leaving civilians trapped between explosions, checkpoints, rising food prices, fuel queues and the growing uncertainty of a war with no clear end.
For many Iranians, the conflict is no longer something measured only by military targets or political speeches. It is measured by whether a bakery is open, whether an ATM still works, whether a parent can safely reach a hospital, whether there is petrol for a car, and whether security forces will punish anyone who speaks too openly.
Residents in Tehran say explosions have become part of daily life since the strikes began on 28 February. Salar, a Tehran resident whose name has been changed for safety reasons, described the scale of destruction as overwhelming. “The number of explosions and the destruction is unbelievable,” he said.
Fear and shortages grip Iran most sharply in places where air strikes, state security pressure and economic breakdown overlap. Tehran’s streets are quieter than usual. Some shops remain closed. Supermarkets and bakeries are among the few places still drawing steady lines. Residents describe checkpoints, Revolutionary Guards patrols and daily warnings not to protest.
The News Ink has already covered how life in Tehran under fire has changed since the war began, and this updated report looks more closely at how ordinary Iranians are coping as the conflict drags on.
Why fear and shortages grip Iran now
Fear and shortages grip Iran because the war is damaging more than military infrastructure. Even when strikes are aimed at political, security or military sites, the shock spreads into civilian life. Roads become unsafe. Hospitals operate under pressure. Schools close or become targets of fear. Water, electricity and internet access become unreliable. Families stop moving unless they must.
Reuters reported that terrified Tehran residents described the city as largely emptied except for checkpoints and Revolutionary Guards patrols. Residents also reported electricity, water and internet cuts, while people fleeing toward Turkey described destroyed buildings, damaged cars and widespread panic.
The fear is not only fear of bombs. It is also fear of what comes after them. Some residents worry about looting. Others worry about medicine running out. Others fear arrest if they are seen filming damage, sharing information or criticising the authorities.
That is why fear and shortages grip Iran in such a deep way. A missile can destroy a building in seconds. But the fear it creates can reshape daily life for weeks or months.
Tehran feels quieter, heavier and more controlled
Tehran residents describe a city moving carefully. Streets that were once busy now feel unusually quiet. People leave home mainly for food, medicine, fuel or urgent family reasons. The emotional rhythm of the capital has changed from noise and motion to waiting.
One 25-year-old student said checkpoints have appeared across the city. “There are checkpoints everywhere. They seem afraid,” he said. That fear cuts both ways. Citizens are afraid of strikes and arrests. Security forces appear afraid of unrest, protest or public anger spreading during wartime.
Fear and shortages grip Iran partly because the government is trying to control public reaction after the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the first wave of strikes. Reuters reported that news of Khamenei’s death produced both spontaneous celebrations in parts of Tehran and mourning among supporters of the Islamic Republic. Since then, security services have worked to prevent any return of mass protest.
For many residents, this means living under two pressures at once: aircraft and missiles above, police and militia checkpoints below.
Civilian casualties deepen the crisis
The civilian toll has become one of the most sensitive and painful parts of the war. Iranian officials have said more than 150 people were killed when a girls’ school in Minab was struck early in the conflict. Reuters reported that Iranian authorities put the school death toll at 150, while adding that it could not independently verify that figure.
UN experts later strongly condemned the deadly strike on the girls’ school in Minab and called for accountability, warning that attacks affecting children and schools raise grave concerns under international humanitarian law. TIME reported that HRANA said more than 1,000 civilians had been killed in the first five days of the US-Israeli bombing campaign, including children, with hundreds more deaths still under review.
Fear and shortages grip Iran more tightly when people believe civilian sites are no longer safe. A school strike changes how parents think about sending children outside. Damage near hospitals changes how patients think about seeking treatment. A blast near a residential block changes how families sleep, move and plan.
Washington and Israel have said their campaign is aimed at military and regime targets. But inside Iran, many civilians judge the war by where debris falls, where bodies are buried and which neighbourhoods are left without power.
Key pressures on ordinary Iranians
| Pressure | What residents are facing |
|---|---|
| Air strikes | Explosions, damaged buildings, fear of more attacks |
| Checkpoints | Security forces, Revolutionary Guards and Basij patrols |
| Food prices | Higher costs for basics such as eggs, potatoes and bread |
| Fuel shortages | Long lines at petrol stations and difficulty leaving cities |
| Cash problems | Some ATMs and shops reportedly not functioning normally |
| Internet disruption | Harder communication, reporting and family contact |
| Medical fear | Residents worry hospitals could be damaged or difficult to reach |
| Protest warnings | Citizens report messages threatening severe punishment for dissent |
Fear and shortages grip Iran because these pressures are happening together. No single problem explains the crisis. It is the combination that has made daily life feel unstable.
Food prices and queues add to public anxiety
Residents say the price of basic goods has risen sharply. Eggs, potatoes, bread and other essentials have become more expensive or harder to buy in some areas. Long lines outside bakeries and petrol stations have become part of the wartime landscape.
A Tehran resident told the BBC that most shops were closed and that only supermarkets and bakeries continued operating regularly. Some cash machines had stopped working, adding another layer of stress for people trying to buy supplies.
Reuters also reported that people were stockpiling food because they feared supplies could run low if the conflict continued. Some residents said food and medicine were still available, but they were worried the situation could deteriorate quickly.
Fear and shortages grip Iran especially hard because inflation and economic pressure were already serious before the war. When an economy is fragile, conflict can turn ordinary purchases into daily calculations. Families ask whether to buy now before prices rise again, whether to keep cash at home, whether to save fuel, and whether to leave the city while roads remain open.
For wider context on how conflict and instability affect households, The News Ink’s economy coverage tracks the way shocks move from politics into prices.
Security forces try to prevent unrest
The Iranian state appears determined to prevent wartime hardship from becoming another uprising. Reuters reported in late March that Iran had intensified arrests, executions and street deployments to prevent unrest, with the Basij militia setting up checkpoints inside and at the entrances to major cities.
That security presence has changed the atmosphere. Residents say they receive daily text messages warning them not to protest. Some messages reportedly warn that anyone who joins demonstrations may face severe punishment or be labelled a collaborator with Israel.
Fear and shortages grip Iran because people are not only afraid of outside attack. They are also afraid of being punished by their own government. A person who films a strike site may be accused of spreading enemy propaganda. A person who criticises officials may be accused of disloyalty. A person who protests shortages may be treated as a security threat.
This is one reason major protests have not yet emerged despite anger, grief and exhaustion. Fear can silence a population even when anger is widespread.
The internet problem makes everything harder
Internet disruption has made the crisis more frightening. Families struggle to check on relatives. Journalists and rights groups struggle to verify casualties. Activists struggle to document strikes or arrests. Rumours spread because official information is distrusted and independent reporting is limited.
Researchers have documented major Iranian internet shutdowns and restrictions in recent years, and Reuters has repeatedly reported that internet cuts have made communication with people inside Iran difficult during the war.
Fear and shortages grip Iran more severely when people cannot communicate. In a crisis, information is not a luxury. It tells families which roads are safe, which hospitals are open, which areas were hit and whether relatives are alive.
The digital side of the war is also becoming more important. The News Ink’s report on cyber warfare in the Iran conflict explains how online systems, censorship and digital security have become part of modern conflict.
Khamenei’s death reshaped the political mood
Khamenei’s death in the first wave of strikes changed the emotional and political shape of the war. Some Iranians mourned him as the leader of the Islamic Republic. Others blamed his policies for years of isolation, sanctions and confrontation. Some reportedly celebrated when news of his death spread.
Reuters later reported that Iran buried Khamenei in Mashhad after weeks of funeral processions and rallies. His death has remained central to the government’s messaging, with Iranian leaders framing the war as a struggle for revenge and national survival.
Fear and shortages grip Iran partly because leadership change has not brought calm. Instead, it has added uncertainty. A wounded political system can become more repressive. A new leadership circle may try to prove strength by cracking down harder at home and retaliating more aggressively abroad.
For civilians, that means the death of a leader does not automatically mean the end of the crisis. It may deepen it.
Mixed public emotions have not disappeared
At the start of the strikes, some Iranians reportedly chanted or celebrated, hoping the attacks would weaken the regime. Others were horrified by civilian casualties and feared the country would be destroyed in the name of change.
That divide still matters. The article should not present Iranians as one political voice. Many oppose the Islamic Republic but also oppose foreign military action. Many hate the regime but fear that air strikes will strengthen hardliners. Others support the government or see the strikes as an assault on Iranian sovereignty.
Fear and shortages grip Iran across these political divisions. A person can dislike the regime and still fear bombs. A person can oppose foreign strikes and still blame leaders for the war. A parent can care more about bread, medicine and children’s safety than ideological slogans.
The News Ink’s earlier report on mixed emotions in Iran explored that contradiction: panic and relief can exist in the same country, and sometimes in the same person.
Why shortages can become political
Shortages are never only economic during war. They become political because people ask who failed them. Did foreign powers cause the suffering? Did the government bring the country to this point? Did sanctions leave Iran too weak? Did leaders prepare civilians properly? Why are ordinary people paying the price?
Reuters reported that analysts and sources inside Iran believe the most dangerous moment for the leadership may come after the bombing slows, when people confront the economic damage, job losses and ruined infrastructure. Ali Ansari, a professor of modern history at the University of St Andrews, told Reuters that Iran’s old problems could return worse after peace, while a “paranoid, wounded and bitter” regime may try to crush trouble before it starts.
Fear and shortages grip Iran now, but the political consequences may come later. During the worst of the bombing, many people focus on survival. When the noise fades, grief, anger and economic pressure may become harder to contain.
How the war has widened beyond Iran
The crisis inside Iran is tied to a wider regional war. Reuters reported in July that Iran launched strikes on US-linked targets across Gulf states after fresh US attacks, while US Central Command said it had struck about 90 Iranian military targets. Iranian state media said those US strikes killed 14 people and injured 78 across five provinces.
The conflict has also disrupted the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy routes. Reuters reported that Iranian officials said traffic through the strait had recovered to about half of pre-war levels under Iranian supervision, while the US said it had helped commercial vessels move through the waterway and rejected Iran’s claim to control it.
Fear and shortages grip Iran in part because the country is no longer facing isolated strikes. It is involved in a regional military struggle affecting Gulf states, oil routes, shipping, aviation and diplomacy.
That wider disruption matters for ordinary Iranians too. If trade routes suffer, prices rise. If Gulf partners turn hostile, economic options shrink. If oil infrastructure is damaged, state revenue falls. If diplomacy fails, the war lasts longer.
The News Ink has also explained how UK Middle East flights were cancelled as the conflict spread into the wider region.
What residents are saying
The human voices from inside Iran are hard to verify fully because of fear, censorship and disrupted communications. But the pattern is consistent across reporting: people are frightened, tired and unsure what comes next.
Salar said every day feels like a month. “The attacks keep coming,” he said. A young student described checkpoints everywhere. Another resident said the early moments of chanting and celebration have been replaced by police presence and fear.
Reuters quoted people who described destroyed buildings, children screaming, electricity and water cuts, and people trying to leave when roads felt safe. One woman with a sick child said she was afraid to go to hospital because she feared it could be bombed.
Fear and shortages grip Iran through these individual moments. A war is not only the number of targets hit. It is a mother deciding whether the hospital is safe. It is a student passing through checkpoints. It is a family trying to buy bread before shelves empty. It is a resident wondering whether a text message from security forces is a warning or a threat.
What could happen next?
The next phase depends on several uncertain factors.
First, the intensity of US-Israeli strikes. If attacks continue at a high tempo, shortages and displacement may worsen. Second, Iran’s retaliation. More attacks on Gulf targets could trigger additional US strikes and deeper regional disruption. Third, domestic repression. If authorities fear protests, checkpoints, arrests and warnings may increase. Fourth, humanitarian access. If fuel, medicine, food and electricity systems deteriorate, civilian suffering could deepen quickly.
Fear and shortages grip Iran now, but the longer-term danger is a full humanitarian and economic collapse. That does not require every shop to close overnight. It can happen gradually: fewer medicines, fewer working ATMs, higher food prices, more fuel queues, more closed businesses and more people afraid to speak.
Diplomacy remains possible, but every new strike makes it harder. The News Ink has tracked the wider diplomatic strain in US-Iran ceasefire under pressure and the continuing efforts to avoid a larger war.
FAQ: fear and shortages grip Iran
Why do fear and shortages grip Iran now?
Fear and shortages grip Iran because US-Israeli air strikes, Iranian retaliation, damaged infrastructure, checkpoints, internet disruption and rising prices have made ordinary life difficult and uncertain.
Are food and medicine completely unavailable in Iran?
Reports suggest food and medicine remain available in some places, but residents are worried supplies could run low. Prices for basic goods have risen, and queues have formed outside bakeries and petrol stations.
What happened at the Minab school?
Iranian officials said a girls’ school in Minab was struck early in the war and that more than 150 people were killed. Reuters said it could not independently verify that toll, while UN experts condemned the deadly school strike and called for accountability.
Has Khamenei’s death caused protests?
Reuters reported some spontaneous celebrations after Khamenei’s death, but no major nationwide protests had emerged in the immediate aftermath. Security forces have since intensified efforts to prevent unrest.
Why is internet disruption important?
Internet disruption makes it harder for families to communicate, journalists to verify events, activists to document abuses and residents to understand which areas are safe.
The bottom line
Fear and shortages grip Iran because the war has moved into the daily life of ordinary people. Explosions, checkpoints, power cuts, fuel queues, food-price rises and text-message threats now define a crisis that is both military and deeply human.
The US and Israel say they are targeting military and political structures. Iran says civilians are being killed and the country is under attack. Rights groups report large civilian casualties, while independent verification remains difficult because of restricted access and internet disruption.
What is clear is that civilians are paying a heavy price. Some Iranians still hope the strikes could weaken the Islamic Republic. Others fear the same strikes will bring more death, more repression and more hardship. Many feel both at the same time.
Fear and shortages grip Iran because people are trapped between a government that threatens dissent and a war that threatens their homes. The question now is not only how long the strikes continue. It is how long ordinary families can keep living under fear, scarcity and silence.
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