Ordinary Iranians are living through a waking nightmare as the war enters its second week, with citizens trapped in a communications blackout while the US and Israel pound targets across the country.
As smoke rises over major cities, innocent civilians on the ground have told the Daily Mail of a terrifying lack of information, claiming the Islamic Republic has ‘abandoned’ its own people by cutting off the internet, leaving them unable to receive life-saving evacuation warnings.
‘We are still alive… I don’t have any idea what will happen next,’ one woman hiding in Isfahan, a central city which hosts military and nuclear research facilities, told us as bombs rained down this week.
She described an atmosphere of confusion and panic, with internet blackouts for seven days since the elimination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in strikes last Saturday.
This sense of chaos extended to the regime, she said, with swirling rumors that the Ayatollah’s reported successor, his son Mojtaba, may already be dead.
‘We were told that Mojtaba is dead, but [the government] don’t approve that officially,’ she said. There has so far been no indication that the supposed successor has been killed, but he is thought to be in hiding as a prime target for the US and Israel.
While terrified citizens are sheltering in their homes, the regime is trying to tighten its stranglehold on the country, with loyalists flooding the empty streets, video shared with the Daily Mail shows.
But for many, the biggest threat isn’t the missiles from above, but their own government’s hunger for revenge. ‘Be aware and be our sound,’ another Iranian pleaded. ‘If we are killed, our murderer is the Islamic Republic of Iran.’
Video taken from a window inside Iran shows regime loyalists flooding the streets chanting and waving Iranian flags
![One Iranian described an atmosphere of confusion and unconfirmed rumors regarding the regime's leadership: 'We were told that Mojtaba is dead, but they don't approve that officially [the government]. Thank god that the USA government let Trump attack more. Except [for the] first day of war, none of the policemen [were] killed'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2026/03/07/15/106929475-15621461-One_Iranian_described_an_atmosphere_of_confusion_and_unconfirmed-m-4_1772897580188.jpg)
One Iranian described an atmosphere of confusion and unconfirmed rumors regarding the regime’s leadership: ‘We were told that Mojtaba is dead, but they don’t approve that officially [the government]. Thank god that the USA government let Trump attack more. Except [for the] first day of war, none of the policemen [were] killed’
‘My friend texted me that the windows of their house have been shattered. Some people are leaving Isfahan,’ one source said
Central Tehran was rocked by a huge explosion as the US-Israeli alliance dropped a huge payload on the Moqaddad base of the Revolutionary Guards’
They said that a regime that cuts off communication and internet in the middle of war, leaving citizens without evacuation warnings, is allowing its own people to be killed.
‘They are not protecting their citizens, they are abandoning us in darkness and fear. Please, please, speak up against this blackout,’ they begged.
As the bombardment intensifies, families are facing an impossible choice: stay in the cities or risk the roads out with no guidance.
The first woman who spoke to us described people desperately fleeing the city as their homes are shaken by strikes, but welcomed the sustained US campaign against the Iranian regime nonetheless.
‘Thank god that the USA government let Trump attack more,’ she said, before calling for more targeted strikes to take out the regime’s enforcers.
‘Except [for the] first day of war, none of the policemen [were] killed… We were hoping that they [would attack] most vigorously.’
She confirmed that her family had decided to stay put as the bombing intensifies. ‘We are at home where [it is] safe,’ she said, before slamming the regime again: ‘These mother******s don’t even inform us where it is dangerous.’
‘There is Reza Pahlavi, but Trump has mentioned many times that he is a good guy, but not appropriate for the leader of Iran,’ one college student explained. ‘But I think if the Islamic Republic goes away, anything besides them is gonna be better than them’
‘Be aware and be our sound,’ another Iranian pleaded. ‘If we are killed, our murderer is the Islamic Republic of Iran . A regime that cuts off communication and internet in the middle of war, when people rely on the internet for evacuation warnings and safety protocols, they are not protecting their citizens, they are abandoning us in darkness and fear. Please, please, speak up against this blackout’
The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), pictured, known as the ‘Mother of All Bombs’, may now be dropped on Iran, experts have said
The 146ft B-1 Lancer has a wingspan of 137ft, weighs 86 tonnes and is the fastest bomber in the US Air Force, according to Boeing, hitting speeds of more than 900mph
Reports are emerging of mass evacuations from Isfahan, though many fear there is nowhere left to run. One Iranian living in Europe, who was sent away by his family during the January protests, remains in constant contact with those he left behind.
‘My friend texted me that the windows of their house have been shattered. Some people are leaving Isfahan,’ he said.
‘A few of my friends went to smaller cities around Isfahan, but that is dangerous too cuz most military facilities are around Isfahan. So when I told that to baba and he said maybe it’s safer if they just stay at homes that aren’t near dangerous areas.’
The chaos on the ground comes as President Trump issued a blistering demand for ‘unconditional surrender’ on Truth Social.
‘There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!’ the President posted. ‘After that, and the selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s), we, and many of our wonderful and very brave allies and partners, will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before. IRAN WILL HAVE A GREAT FUTURE. ‘MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN (MIGA!).’
While many Iranians are desperate for change, the question of who will lead next remains divisive.
Trump has notably distanced himself from the exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last king of Iran, suggesting he prefers options currently ‘inside’ the country.
But it is not clear who those internal options would be.
‘There is Reza Pahlavi, but Trump has mentioned many times that he is a good guy, but not appropriate for the leader of Iran,’ one college student explained. ‘But I think if the Islamic Republic goes away, anything besides them is gonna be better than them.’
