Many Iranians have reacted with fear and dismay at Donald Trump’s instruction to “immediately evacuate Tehran”.
The capital’s almost 10 million residents have now been left to decide whether to shelter in their homes – bracing themselves for what could come next – or attempt to join the heavy traffic leaving the country’s capital.
President Trump made his comments just moments before cutting short his trip to the G7 in Canada, leaving many wondering if this could mean a further escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran was imminent.
Many of those deciding to leave Tehran are posting images of their homes online, a poignant trend in Persian-language social media for those leaving their city behind.
BBC journalists are currently unable to report in Iran due to restrictions by the Iranian government. However, BBC Persian and other BBC correspondents have received messages from people affected. They have also conducted interviews and monitored social media to gather people’s stories. Many fear speaking to media could put them at risk inside Iran, so real names have not been used.
Some Iranians had already taken the decision to leave well before Israel issued the first evacuation order for parts of Tehran on Monday.
A journey that would typically last an hour-and-a-half took him nearly five hours. Many more Iranians living in Tehran have decided to leave since Monday, braving traffic jams of up to 14 hours and fuel queues to flee – unsure if their homes will still be standing when they return.
It is expected that even more will attempt to make the arduous journey out of Tehran following Trump’s comments.
Credit: bbc.com
