Iranians fear return to war one month after ceasefire with Israel

Al Arabiya

5 days ago

The ceasefire that ended Iran's 12-day war with Israel has held for nearly a month without incident, but many Iranians remain uneasy, struggling with uncertainty as fears of another confrontation linger.
'I don't think this ceasefire will last,' said Peyman, a 57-year-old resident of Shiraz in southern Iran, one of numerous cities hit last month as Israel unleashed an unprecedented bombing campaign against its longtime rival.
The Israeli offensive targeted key nuclear facilities and military sites, killing top commanders, nuclear scientists, and hundreds of others, while also wreaking havoc in some residential areas. The attacks triggered the fiercest fighting in history between the two adversaries, ending with a ceasefire announced on June 24.
Israel has signaled it could return to fighting if Iran attempts to rebuild its nuclear facilities or take any action deemed threatening, such as moving to develop a nuclear weapon — an ambition Tehran has consistently denied. Iran, in turn, has vowed to deliver a harsh response if attacked again.
Nuclear diplomacy with the United States — which briefly joined the war with strikes on Iranian nuclear sites — has stalled, deepening uncertainty about what lies ahead.
'I am scared the war will start again,' said Hamid, a 54-year-old government employee who gave only his first name. 'It will lead to the death of more innocent people and the destruction of the country's infrastructure.'
During the war, Israel struck major Iranian cities including the capital Tehran, hitting military sites, government buildings, and the state television headquarters. More than 1,000 people were killed in Iran, according to authorities. Retaliatory missile and drone attacks killed 29 people in Israel.
Many residents fled Tehran, seeking refuge elsewhere in the country, even though few regions were untouched by the blasts and smoke-filled skies.
Nearly a month later, a series of fires that broke out across Iran — including one at a major oil facility — have triggered speculation, which officials were quick to dismiss, denying any acts of sabotage.
'This war really frightened me,' said 78-year-old housewife Golandam Babaei from western Kermanshah province. She lived through the Iran–Iraq War of the 1980s, a painful memory for many of her generation.
'I kept telling myself, please God, do not let the past repeat itself,' Babaei told AFP.
The war with Israel, although much shorter and fought mostly with air strikes and missiles rather than ground forces, revived grim memories of the conflict with Iraq. That war, triggered by an Iraqi invasion in 1980, killed an estimated 500,000 people on both sides. It featured chemical warfare and prolonged front-line bombardments, scarring Iranians in the then-nascent Islamic Republic born out of the 1979 revolution.
For decades since, Iran had largely managed to keep conflicts away from its own soil. But after the recent 12-day war with Israel, some Iranians feel a renewed sense of vulnerability.
'I kept thinking I don't want to flee again. We have nowhere to go. I cannot run to the mountains like in the past,' said Babaei.
For Ali Khanzadi, a 62-year-old war veteran, the conflict with Israel highlighted a stark difference compared to the 1980s when 'we didn't have any advanced military equipment' to fight the Iraqis.
Khanzadi, who was wounded in battle in 1983, said the war with Israel, while shorter, had a more sinister dimension. Unlike in the past, modern military technology means 'they can kill a child in his sleep remotely using a drone,' he said.
In the face of Israeli threats and attacks, Iranian authorities have repeatedly invoked national unity. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said the offensive was aimed at toppling the its clerical system, and urged Iranian diplomats and military leaders to proceed with 'care and precision' as the country cautiously moves forward.
Tehran has said it remains open to nuclear diplomacy with the United States, which the war had derailed, but officials have demanded unspecified US guarantees to resume negotiations.
Ordinary Iranians appear to share fears that conflict could erupt again.
'I hope that this will not happen,' said Hamid.