As reported by Courier International, while life in Tehran is slowly returning to a semblance of normality after days of resembling a ghost town, the official mood remains one of high alert. The ultra-conservative newspaper Kayhan reflected the regime's deep-seated distrust, warning that "a ceasefire supported by malicious individuals like Netanyahu and Trump is weak, fragile, and invalid." This sentiment has left many citizens, as noted by the daily Donya-e Eqtesad, struggling to "find the confidence to return home safely." The human cost of the conflict is stark: authorities report hundreds of civilian deaths and over 120 homes in Tehran destroyed, with an Iranian citizen telling BBC Persian that the regime will now prioritize rebuilding its military, not civilian infrastructure.
This shared national trauma has given rise to divergent hopes and fears for what comes next. Some citizens, as quoted in Donya-e Eqtesad, believe that the population's support for the country's "territorial integrity" during the war means it is now "the regime's duty to grant more social freedoms." Others, however, are bracing for the opposite. "What is more frightening than war and ceasefires," a Tehran resident named Minou confided to BBC Persian, "is that the regime, wounded and humiliated, will now lash out at the Iranian people with executions and torture." These fears are not unfounded; in recent days, the government has arrested hundreds for allegedly supporting Israel online, and at least five men have been hanged on charges of espionage.
For the Iranian opposition, particularly those in the diaspora, the ceasefire has brought a bitter disappointment. Many had watched the conflict unfold with the fervent hope that external pressure would finally topple the Islamic Republic; figures like the Shah's exiled son, Reza Pahlavi, even proposed a transition plan. "Social media was filled with hope, fear, and even dreams of a free Iran tomorrow," observed the opposition outlet Independent Persian. With the fighting over, the site noted, "a heavy silence has fallen… as if for some, the hope of the regime's fall had vanished in an instant."
Yet, this disillusionment may be giving rise to a new, more pragmatic resolve. The war, according to Independent Persians, has effectively "ended the hope of a rescue of the country by foreign powers." Another opposition media site, Iran International, argued that while recent events have weakened the regime, the path forward is now clear. Quoting an activist, it concluded that the ultimate responsibility has shifted inward: "The time has come for the Islamic Republic to fall, but in the end, it is the people who will bring down the power of the mullahs."
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