Iranians woke up on Thursday to a new round of explosions in Tehran, on the sixth day of war since the US and Israel launched attacks that have so far killed more than 1,200 people, including the country\u2019s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.<\/p>\n
The casualties include 168 children who were killed at a school in the southern province of Hormozgan; thousands more people have been injured.<\/p>\n
Washington has vowed to hit targets \u201cdeeper\u201d in Iran, while Israeli officials said they had dropped more than 5,000 bombs since the start of the assault.<\/p>\n
Iran has retaliated with missiles and drones, hitting targets across the Middle East, including in Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, with the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, vowing the country would defend itself.<\/p>\n
Just a week ago, Iran\u2019s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, was in Geneva for a third round of nuclear negotiations where he said Tehran and Washington had moved \u201ccloser to agreement\u201d. Two days later, Israel and the US launched a war without a clear legal mandate or basis, and with minimal consultation with Congress or the American public.<\/p>\n
Tehran, home to about 10 million people, has been burning since, with civilians bearing the brunt of the conflict. Mohammad Mohsenifar, an Iranian photographer, has been covering the destruction.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, a residential complex in south-eastern Tehran was struck, leaving two apartment blocks completely destroyed and five others badly damaged. \u201cResidents have evacuated their homes,\u201d a distressed man said, explaining that his sister lived nearby.<\/p>\n
Smoke still billows from the ruins as first responders carry away the dead and treat the injured. Firefighters spray water on to what remains of a building reduced to a twisted skeleton of concrete, brick and rebar. People cry, and the cold air is thick with smoke, making it harsh to breathe. The Alborz mountains surrounding the city trap not only the winter smog, but now also the choking smoke of airstrikes.<\/p>\n
The scene here in south-eastern Tehran is chaotic. A group of teenage girls sit by the roadside, their faces blank as people run past. A woman hurriedly shoves a few of her belongings into a car, carefully placing a cage with her two cockatiel birds on the passenger seat. Others rush back into damaged apartments to grab what they can: documents, electronics, a few valuables.<\/p>\n
Blankets are thrown over furniture and sofas to cover and protect them; most things are left behind as families abandon their homes to seek shelter with relatives outside the city, towards the mountains of Gilan or the Caspian Sea.<\/p>\n
Nearby, first responders lift a body into an ambulance. A white stuffed rabbit, grey with dust, lies among the debris. There are books, prayer beads, shattered glass.<\/p>\n
And then there is blood. Thick strands of hair. Pieces of bodies scattered through the rubble, collected into plastic bags.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the worst things are the second strikes,\u201d said Mohsenifar, adding that sometimes new blasts hit minutes after first responders have arrived. \u201cThis has increased the number of casualties, but has also made rescue teams hesitant to approach a scene right after a blast, as they often anticipate a second explosion,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Despite the war, Tehran \u2013 with its sprawling old parks and snow-capped mountains \u2013 has not come to a complete standstill. Schools and universities immediately closed on Saturday when the conflict began, but many shops and markets are still open, and some restaurants continue to serve Iftar meals at sunset as Iranians break their fast during Ramadan.<\/p>\n