Close Menu
Mirror Brief

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    Cameron Norrie battles past Comesaña at US Open to set up Djokovic clash | US Open Tennis 2025

    August 27, 2025

    Nvidia delivers strong results amid market jitters over AI boom

    August 27, 2025

    Nvidia reports record sales as the AI boom continues

    August 27, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Mirror BriefMirror Brief
    Trending
    • Cameron Norrie battles past Comesaña at US Open to set up Djokovic clash | US Open Tennis 2025
    • Nvidia delivers strong results amid market jitters over AI boom
    • Nvidia reports record sales as the AI boom continues
    • Chris Columbus Fired From Fantastic Four After Harry Potter, Home Alone
    • Ugh, Taylor Swift Stole My Engagement Photos Dress!
    • US Open 2025 results: Emma Raducanu beats Janice Tjen to reach third round in New York
    • Think rocks take millions of years to form? Wrong: it could be just decades | Geology
    • 30 Best Airbnbs in the South of France, From Provence to Nice
    Wednesday, August 27
    • Home
    • Business
    • Health
    • Lifestyle
    • Politics
    • Science
    • Sports
    • World
    • Travel
    • Technology
    • Entertainment
    Mirror Brief
    Home»World»Tehran is coming back to life, but its residents are deeply shaken
    World

    Tehran is coming back to life, but its residents are deeply shaken

    By Emma ReynoldsJune 27, 2025No Comments6 Mins Read
    Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Reddit Telegram Email
    Tehran is coming back to life, but its residents are deeply shaken
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Lyse Doucet

    Chief international correspondent

    Reporting fromTehran, Iran

    Watch: BBC inside Iran state building in Tehran hit by Israeli missile strike

    In the heart of the Iranian capital, the Boof cafe serves up refreshing cold drinks on a hot summer’s day.

    They must be the most distinctive iced Americano coffees in this city – the cafe sits in a leafy corner of the long-shuttered US embassy.

    Its high cement walls have been plastered with anti-American murals ever since Washington severed relations with Tehran in the wake of the 1979 Iranian revolution and the hostage crisis – which still cast a long shadow over this tortuous relationship.

    Inside the charming Boof cafe, Amir the barista says he’d like relations to improve between America and Iran.

    “US sanctions hurt our businesses and make it hard for us to travel around the world,” he reflects as he pours another iced coffee behind a jaunty wooden sign – “Keep calm and drink coffee.”

    Only two tables are occupied – one by a woman covered up in a long black veil, another by a woman in blue jeans with long flowing hair, flouting the rules on what women should wear as she cuddles with her boyfriend.

    It’s a small snapshot of this capital as it confronts its deeply uncertain future.

    Charlotte Scarr/BBC An Iranian man standing behind a counter in a shopCharlotte Scarr/BBC

    Amir, the barista at Boof cafe, says he wants relations between US and Iran to improve

    A short drive away, at the complex of Iran’s state TV station IRIB, a recorded speech by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was broadcast to the nation on Thursday.

    “The Americans have been opposing the Islamic Republic of Iran from the very beginning” he declared.

    “At its core, it has always been about one thing: they want us to surrender,” went on the 86-year Ayatollah, said to have taken shelter in a bunker aer Israel unleashed its unprecedented wave of strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear and missile sites and assassinating senior commanders and scientists.

    We watched his speech, his first since President Donald Trump suddenly announced a ceasefire on Tuesday, on a small TV in the only office still intact in a vast section of the IRIB compound. All that’s le is a charred skeleton of steel.

    When an Israeli bomb slammed into this complex on 16 June, a raging fire swept through the main studio which would have aired the supreme leader’s address. Now it’s just ash.

    You can still taste its acrid smell; all the TV equipment – cameras, lights, tripods – are tangles of twisted metal. A crunching glass carpet covers the ground.

    Israel said it targeted the propaganda arm of the Islamic Republic, accusing it of concealing a military operation within – a charge its journalists rejected.

    Its gaping shell seems to symbolise this darkest of times for Iran.

    You can also see it in the city’s hospitals, which are still treating Iranians injured in Israel’s 12-day war.

    Moment debris falls in Iran state TV studio after Israeli strikes

    “I am scared they might attack again, ” Ashraf Barghi tells me when we meet in the emergency department of the Taleghani General hospital where she works as head nurse.

    “We don’t trust this war has ended” she says, in a remark reflecting the palpable worry we’ve heard from so many people in this city.

    When Israel bombed the threshold of the nearby Evin prison on 23 June, the casualties, both soldiers and civilians, were rushed into Nurse Barghi’s emergency ward.

    “The injuries were the worst I’ve treated in my 32 years as nurse,” she recounts, still visibly distressed.

    The strike on the notorious prison where Iran detains most of its political prisoners was described by Israel as “symbolic”.

    It seemed to reinforce Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s repeated message to Iranians to “stand up for their freedom”.

    “Israel says it only hit military and nuclear prison but it’s all lies,” insists Morteza from his hospital bed. He had been at work in the prison’s transport department when the missile slammed into the building. He shows us his injuries in both arms and his backside.

    In the ward next door, soldiers are being cared for, but we’re not allowed to enter there.

    Charlotte Scarr/BBC A female nurse sitting at a desk in TehranCharlotte Scarr/BBC

    Nurse Ashraf Barghi fears that Israel will attack Iran again

    Across this sprawling metropolis, Iranians are counting the cost of this confrontation. In its latest tally, the government’s health ministry recorded 627 people killed and nearly 5,000 injured.

    Tehran is slowly returning to life and resuming its old rhythms, at least on the surface. Its infamous traffic is starting to fill its soaring highways and pretty tree-lined side streets.

    Shops in its beautiful bazaars are opening again as people return to a city they fled to escape the bombs. Israel’s intense 12-day military operation, coupled with the US’s attacks on Iran’s main nuclear sites, has le so many shaken.

    “They weren’t good days, ” says Mina, a young woman who immediately breaks down as she tries to explain her sadness. “It’s so heart-breaking, ” she tells me through her tears. “We tried so hard to have a better life but we can’t see any future these days.”

    We met on the grounds of the soaring white marble Azadi tower, one of Tehran’s most iconic landmarks. A large crowd milling on a warm summer’s evening swayed to the strains of much-loved patriotic songs in an open air concert of the Tehran Symphony Orchestra. It was meant to bring some calm to a city still on edge.

    Supporters and critics of Iran’s clerical rulers mingled, drawn together by shared worry about their country’s future.

    “They have to hear what people say,” insists Ali Reza when I ask him what advice he would give to his government. “We want greater freedoms, that’s all I will say.”

    There’s defiance too. “Attacking our nuclear bases to show off that ‘you have to do as we say’ goes against diplomacy,” says Hamed, an 18-year-old university student.

    Despite rules and restrictions which have long governed their lives, Iranians do speak their minds as they wait for the next steps by their rulers, and leaders in Washington and beyond, which carry such consequences for their lives.

    Additional reporting by Charlotte Scarr and Nik Millard.

    Lyse Doucet is being allowed to report in Iran on condition that none of her reports are used on the BBC’s Persian service. This law from Iranian authorities applies to all international media agencies operating in Iran.

    coming deeply Life residents shaken Tehran
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleReeves expected to freeze income tax thresholds to raise fresh funds | Income tax
    Next Article Crystal Palace’s Uefa ruling delayed, Andrews set for Brentford job, transfer latest: football – live | Football
    Emma Reynolds
    • Website

    Emma Reynolds is a senior journalist at Mirror Brief, covering world affairs, politics, and cultural trends for over eight years. She is passionate about unbiased reporting and delivering in-depth stories that matter.

    Related Posts

    World

    Porepunkah shooting: Victoria’s parliament lit up in tribute to dead officers as police continue search for suspect | Victoria

    August 27, 2025
    World

    Will a UN funding shortfall affect investigations into Israel’s crimes? | Israel-Palestine conflict News

    August 27, 2025
    World

    Indian Exports Hit With 50% U.S. Tariffs

    August 27, 2025
    Add A Comment
    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    Medium Rectangle Ad
    Top Posts

    Revealed: Yorkshire Water boss was paid extra £1.3m via offshore parent firm | Water industry

    August 3, 202513 Views

    PSG’s ‘team of stars’ seek perfect finale at Club World Cup

    July 12, 20258 Views

    Eric Trump opens door to political dynasty

    June 27, 20257 Views
    Stay In Touch
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • TikTok
    • WhatsApp
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    Latest Reviews
    Technology

    Meta Wins Blockbuster AI Copyright Case—but There’s a Catch

    Emma ReynoldsJune 25, 2025
    Business

    No phone signal on your train? There may be a fix

    Emma ReynoldsJune 25, 2025
    World

    US sanctions Mexican banks, alleging connections to cartel money laundering | Crime News

    Emma ReynoldsJune 25, 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest tech news from FooBar about tech, design and biz.

    Medium Rectangle Ad
    Most Popular

    Revealed: Yorkshire Water boss was paid extra £1.3m via offshore parent firm | Water industry

    August 3, 202513 Views

    PSG’s ‘team of stars’ seek perfect finale at Club World Cup

    July 12, 20258 Views

    Eric Trump opens door to political dynasty

    June 27, 20257 Views
    Our Picks

    Cameron Norrie battles past Comesaña at US Open to set up Djokovic clash | US Open Tennis 2025

    August 27, 2025

    Nvidia delivers strong results amid market jitters over AI boom

    August 27, 2025

    Nvidia reports record sales as the AI boom continues

    August 27, 2025
    Recent Posts
    • Cameron Norrie battles past Comesaña at US Open to set up Djokovic clash | US Open Tennis 2025
    • Nvidia delivers strong results amid market jitters over AI boom
    • Nvidia reports record sales as the AI boom continues
    • Chris Columbus Fired From Fantastic Four After Harry Potter, Home Alone
    • Ugh, Taylor Swift Stole My Engagement Photos Dress!
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
    • About Us
    • Disclaimer
    • Get In Touch
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms and Conditions
    © 2025 Mirror Brief. All rights reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.