Iranians Call Israel’s Attack ‘Expected but Stressful’ Amid Rising Tensions

Following Israel’s latest assault, Iranians voice mixed emotions, describing the attack as ‘expected but stressful.’ Dive into the local perspective on this heightened conflict.

Tehran, Iran — In the early hours of Saturday, thousands of residents in Tehran were abruptly awakened by the sound of explosions as Israel launched an attack.

“I heard approximately ten booms in quick succession,” said Ali, a 32-year-old resident of western Tehran, where the initial sounds were noticed after 2 AM (22:30 GMT on Friday).

People in Iran took to social media to report hearing explosions throughout the city and some of its neighboring areas.

A few hours later, when the second wave of attacks occurred, videos circulated online depicting air defenses being engaged to intercept incoming threats.

“Although it wasn’t unexpected, it was still stressful. We stayed up all night with family monitoring the news and discussing details with colleagues on our Telegram channels,” said Ali, who requested to keep his last name confidential.

In Tehran and throughout the nation, life largely proceeded as usual on Saturday, marking the first day of Iran’s workweek.

Traffic flowed normally in various parts of the capital and other impacted cities.

However, some people were immediately impacted by the fear and uncertainty caused by an attack on the country, which hasn’t experienced full-scale war within its borders since neighboring Iraq’s invasion in the 1980s.

A 65-year-old resident from Gilan’s northern province noted, “The local market prices have surged by 30-40 percent compared to last week. However, I anticipate that the situation will stabilize by tomorrow or within a few days.”

A computer salesman at a shop in downtown Tehran mentioned that the currency’s instability posed an additional challenge.

“It’s been challenging to deal with the constant fluctuations in interest rates and price changes for over a month now, which is detrimental to business. I sincerely hope we can avoid a war for everyone’s sake, especially given the current economic climate,” he told Al Jazeera.

Although the Iranian rial remained relatively stable since the beginning of Israel’s conflict with Gaza, it has become unstable due to growing fears of a widespread regional war.

Recently, the value dropped from approximately 600,000 to the dollar a month ago to a peak of around 690,000 earlier this week. It then recovered some ground following the Israeli attack and reached about 660,000.

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As the central bank injects currency to stabilize the market, state-affiliated media on Saturday conveyed optimism that the rial might return to its previous month’s range.

Gold coins saw a decline of approximately 5 percent in value during Saturday’s trading. Meanwhile, the Iranian stock market predominantly showcased gains following the conclusion of Israeli strikes, which ultimately proved less intense than initially threatened by Israel’s leaders.

Following weeks of speculation about a potential Israeli attack on Iranian energy infrastructure, authorities confirmed that there were no strikes on major refineries, power stations, natural gas lines, or sensitive nuclear sites.

So far, Iranian authorities have not made any threats of direct or immediate retaliation.

The Israeli strike was anticipated as a response to Iran launching approximately 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on October 1, although the full extent remains uncertain.

Iran reported that the attacks targeted military locations in Tehran, as well as in the western provinces of Ilam and Khuzestan. The country claimed its air defenses performed effectively, leading to “limited damage.”

According to a statement by the Iranian armed forces, the attack resulted in the deaths of two soldiers.

On that same day, an armed attack targeted a police convoy in the southeastern province of Sistan and Balochistan, resulting in the deaths of 10 Iranian border guards.

The Jaish al-Adl armed separatist group, which Tehran labels a “terrorist” organization with connections to Israel, claimed responsibility.