Mehrdad: I went out the other night, even as air raids were happening. I was with two friends whose views are very different from mine. One is completely against the Islamic republic and thinks it should be overthrown, and the other is more moderate. But another one of my friends refused to join us. He told our mutual friend, “I don’t want to see Mehrdad or hang out with him, because he supports this regime.” I was stunned. We have been friends for years.
The three of us went to an outdoor cafe we really like. One of my friends was saying that some people think Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the former Shah, is the symbol of progress and freedom. I said this is a delusion. Pahlavi is a dictator, making fake promises that the Islamic republic will collapse soon.
I said the mass killings during the protests in January should never have happened — it was a tragedy. They were all the children of Iran. But at the same time, when people rise to topple the government, they must know that the Islamic republic has no limits when it comes to defending itself against threats. My friend got angry at me — he said: “The regime security forces killed everyone. Don’t make excuses for them.”
Yassi: In the middle of the night, there were gigantic explosions. The sounds were unlike anything we had heard so far. We checked our phones and read that Israel was attacking Tehran’s oil depots and refinery. We could see the Shahran oil depot, in the northwest of the city, from the roof. The fire was huge, and smoke was spreading across the sky.
Mehrdad: I watch the images of Iran targeting oil tankers and launching counterstrikes on Israel and Arab countries in the Persian Gulf. With every missile that hits the ground and escapes their air defenses, I text my friends: “YES. Go Iran.”
Yassi: With every explosion in Iran comes a sense of worry. What did they hit? Was it a home? Are they also targeting water and electricity?
Mehrdad: I think Iran’s strategy at the moment is the madman’s strategy: When cornered or attacked, he shows no mercy, respects no red lines and advances in unpredictable and unimaginable ways. If Trump acts crazy, we act crazier. It’s working. We are the best chess players in the world, and this war is like a 4-D game of chess.
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