Tehran’s streets lie empty as sustained Israeli airstrikes force residents to flee, with smoke rising ominously above a recently targeted oil depot in the city’s northwest.
In the wake of these relentless strikes, China Media Group (CMG) correspondent Sepehr Saremi remains in the capital city of Iran, documenting the escalating conflict while staying close to his family.
"Most people here in Tehran have left this city; most people that I know, my friends, my colleagues, my neighbors. But I have decided to stay here and cover everything that is happening, to stay with my family. Now we want to go to my grandpa's home in northwestern Tehran. Somewhere near here, it's exactly where the oil depot was targeted and exploded, and you still see the smoke in the air. Want to go there and see what's happening, and also visit my family," said Saremi.
Saremi journeyed from his home in western Tehran to his grandfather's residence in the northwest, where the visible aftermath of the strikes told its own grim story. For his grandfather, who served as a frontline soldier for 13 months during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, the recent explosions and roars of fighter jets brought back haunting memories of that conflict.
The oil depot explosion is one of several incidents during Israel's latest round of military action against Iran. While the city remains physically intact, Saremi's grandfather described a growing psychological toll as explosions become a near-daily occurrence.
"The oil depot was targeted and exploded now. We are very close to it and you can see now it's still burning. Now you see the smoke. This is exactly, exactly in front of my grandpa's home," Saremi said.
In the wake of recent attacks, daily life in Tehran oscillates between unsettling fear and normalcy, as residents adapt to the challenges while maintaining access to essential resources.
"As you saw, I came from my house in west Tehran to my grandpa's house in northwest Tehran. The city was safe. It is very quiet. It seems that many Tehran residents have left the city for other cities and the only problem is that, it's simply the scare because Israel attacks us constantly and we hear the explosions. We hear the explosions and unfortunately two nights ago, a hospital was attacked in north of Iran, in northwest of Iran, the city called Kermanshah. But for now Tehran is safe and we have everything. We have water, we have electricity and we have no problem for buying stuff. Also gas stations are much better now. We can refill our cars very very easily. I just witnessed this now," said Saremi.
As much of the population leaves and silence fills the city, Tehran faces an uncertain and uneasy calm, waiting for what might come next.
Tehran faces uneasy calm as Israeli airstrikes empty streets
