Tears Of Joy And Sorrow: Mixed Emotions In Tehran As Toll Of War Mounts
With Iran coming under daily attack from US and Israeli air strikes, the toll of the expanding war is adding up both physically and mentally for the country's 92 million people.
Tehran came under intense bombardment in the early hours of March 6, with witnesses reporting multiple explosions, particularly around major government buildings, as the United States and Israel look to weaken the Islamic republic, which has already seen Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior military leaders killed.
“The destruction has been very extensive. We’re experiencing very conflicting emotions," one woman who lives in the capital told RFE/RL's Radio Farda.
"One of them is happiness about the dictator being gone, and, for example, the commanders of the Revolutionary Guards and people like that -- honestly, you can’t say their deaths aren’t sweet; they really are. But, on the other hand, parts of the city that we had memories with for years are being destroyed,” she added.
Read the full article by Kian Sharifi, Roya Karimi Majd, and Vahid Pourostad here.
Tehran Hit By Most Intense Strikes Of War
Iran's capital city saw the heaviest strikes witnessed so far on March 6, the seventh day of joint US-Israeli air attacks, according to social videos shared online. Verified user-generated video showed central areas of Tehran and government buildings coming under intense attacks.
RFE/RL's graphics department has issued a map outlining the current situation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Paralympian To Miss Milano Cortina Games Due To Travel Conditions Amid War
Two-times Paralympian Aboulfazl Khatibi, Iran's sole entrant to the 2026 Paralympic Milano Cortina Games, will not participate due to the unsafe travel conditions in the Middle East.
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) confirmed on March 6 that Iran's National Paralympic Committee (NPC) could not find a safe route for Khatibi, a cross-country skier, to make it to Italy.
“Since the conflict began on Saturday, the IPC and Milano Cortina 2026 Organizing Committee have been working tirelessly behind-the-scenes with the NPC and national ski federation to find alternative routes for the safe passage of the Iran delegation to the Games. However, with the conflict ongoing across the Middle East, the risk to human life is too high," the IPC said.
The games' opening ceremony is set to take place later on March 6 in Verona.
Trump Says Only Iran 'Unconditional Surrender' Acceptable
US President Donald Trump says that he will not strike a deal with Tehran other than "unconditional surrender."
"After that, and the selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s), we, and many of our wonderful and very brave allies and partners, will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before," Trump said in a social media post on March 6.
Report: Russia Gave Iran Intelligence On US Military Targets
The Washington Post reports that Russia has been providing Iran with intelligence on the locations of US military assets in the Middle East, citing three officials familiar with the matter.
The assistance could mark the first sign that another US adversary is indirectly involved in the conflict.
According to the report, Moscow has shared information on US warships and aircraft since the fighting began, potentially helping Iran target US forces.
Analysts say the precision of recent Iranian strikes suggests outside assistance.
Iran May Hope For 'Saddam Scenario' If US Invades, Says Analyst
- By Current Time
Iranian studies expert Mikhail Borodkin says the Tehran regime hopes that a potential US ground invasion would mirror the 1980 invasion of Iran by then-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, which sparked an eight-year conflict.
He explained that back then Iranians rallied against the external enemy, allowing the regime, despite its lack of legitimacy, to not only to survive but also to strengthen its position.
"They hope that if a ground invasion begins, then the people will once again rally around this leadership, despite the fact that this leadership has exhausted all credit and lost all legitimacy in the eyes of the population," Borodkin told Current Time on March 6.
When asked how long the military operation against Iran could last, Borodkin said, it "could be halted the moment a government comes to power in Tehran that says it is prepared to meet the demands made by the Americans."
"But at the moment no such government exists there," he added.
IDF Releases Footage Of Israeli Strikes On Khamenei Compound
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have released footage of strikes that it says took out Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's compound.
"The underground bunker of Iran’s former supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, was destroyed by the Israeli Air Force this morning, the Israeli military said on March 6.
Some 50 IAF fighter jets dropped around 100 bombs on the site, which the IDF says was located under Iran’s “leadership complex” in Tehran, spreading across multiple streets and including “many entry points and rooms for gatherings of senior members of the Iranian terror regime.”
“The underground bunker was built beneath the compound and was a secure emergency asset for managing the war by the leader, who was eliminated before he managed to use it,” the military sad.
NOTE: This blog entry has been amended to correct the date on which the strikes occurred.
Pezeshkian: Several Countries Seeking To Mediate Iran Conflict
Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian said that several countries have begun efforts to mediate the conflict.
"Let's be clear: we are committed to lasting peace in the region yet we have no hesitation in defending our nation's dignity & sovereignty," he wrote in a post on X on March 6. "Mediation should address those who underestimated the Iranian people and ignited this conflict."
Azerbaijan Evacuates Diplomats From Iran After Drone Incident
Azerbaijan is evacuating its diplomats from Iran for their own safety, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Ceyhun Bayramov announced on March 6.
The move comes a day after Baku reported that four Iranian drones had crossed into its territory, injuring four people in the Nakhchivan exclave.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Moldovan counterpart Mihai Popsoi in the Azerbaijani capiral, Bayramov said the evacuation affects staff at Azerbaijan's embassy in Tehran and its consulate general in Tabriz, a city in northwestern Iran that is home to a large ethnic Azeri population.
"Following orders from President Ilham Aliyev, instructions have been issued to evacuate our embassy in Tehran and the consulate general in Tabriz, and these measures are already underway," he said. "We cannot risk the lives of our personnel," he said.
A day earlier, Baku accused Iran of firing drones that struck an airport and school in Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan autonomous region, calling it an "act of terror" and vowing to respond. Tehran denied it fired the drones, which injured four people.
President Aliyev said that "Iran committed an act of terror against the territory of Azerbaijan, against the state of Azerbaijan."