‘People are gripped by huge fear’: defiance and hope on the streets of Tehran

While many seemed happy the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was gone, there was widespread uncertainty about Iran’s future. Photograph: Vahid Salemi/AP

Fear, defiance, and quiet celebration intermingled in Tehran with everyday chores, local people said, as Iran’s capital continued to be rocked by American and Israeli airstrikes.

Residents said that many people had moved to the countryside or were trying to do so, believing it was safer away from military targets. In Tehran, military and police installations are located in residential areas and there were rumours security forces were moving into schools and mosques.