BBC Persian senior reporter Ghoncheh Habibiazad says it remains difficult to contact people inside Iran because of the internet blackout, but some manage to connect briefly. She said she received a voice message from a man in his twenties in Tehran describing deep anxiety about the city’s future.

He said that when he drives past restaurants and cafés he imagines “how nice” it would be to visit again with friends and family — but added he doesn’t know if that day will come.

“We’re in a situation now where I honestly don’t know if a day will come when that restaurant is open again, we’re still alive, my family are still around, Tehran is still intact, and I can actually come back,” he said.

The man said he “absolutely hate[s]” the Islamic Republic, but described feeling devastated seeing “the city I love… under fire,” with smoke rising from different areas.