Tehran’s roads are telling the story of chaos: The suitcase is pulled across the pavement, an unmarried mother holds her little boy with one hand and balances one blanket and pillow on the other and is going to the subway station to spend the other night underground. With no shelter, alert or public migration plan, young Iranians are turning to the sole safe place left Israel attacked Iran: Chat apps like Internet and Discord and WhatsApp.
Mom, a 24 -year -old IT engineering student from Tehran, says, “We do not know where to go.”
“We do not know if there is an IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) or the Ministry of Intelligence in the next door building. I do not know if I have a regular person or a government officer on the upper floor. Nuclear??
Despite all this, Momon has chosen to be in Tehran-Kaval, not only for his two-year rescue cat but in principle. “Where do I go? My house is here. Here is my life. We will not give up on suppressive stewardship or Israeli aggression. Many of us are living. We do not know how long it will last, but instead of living in my home displacement.”
Not shelter but the Internet
The Iranian generation is creating a new refuse in the middle of the 1990 1990s and in the middle of the sixties of the 1990s, with heavy surveillance or completely blocked by traditional safe shelters or completely blocked. Forums have become lifeline, temporarily serve as shelter, therapy rooms and organizing hubs.
Momo has been a Discord user for seven years. Momo says, “The only place I can breathe is.” Gaming with friends I just used the discoord for a voice chat. Now, it sounds like a home. We are often in touch with our family. In the middle of the bombing, we saw the movie and the TV series together. Sometimes we went to sleep online. ”
This generation of Iranians was in the shadow of the approval, political unrest and censorship. Many people in protest against the government of 9 were the main players. Mahasa Amin died In the police custody after being arrested for the wearing “inappropriate hijab” – the global movement of the global movement with the announcement of “woman, life, freedom”. At that time, the online platform played a significant role and he continued to work as an important tool today.
According to Iranian Daily Sherg, about 14 million Iranians – about 15 percent of the population – General Z gamers and frequently disagreeable users. Despite official restrictions, they remain digital connected using VPN and encrypted apps to stay in touch.
“When the attacks began, we were in the middle of a game,” says 23 -year -old Samin in North Iran. “It was an extremist – they didn’t know that the explosion was happening inside the game or in real life. These games are filled with artillery and bombs, they create a bitter irony: I couldn’t tell that I was playing a call of duty. Unfortunately, no sound game – it was really bombing.”
The Discord was blocked on April 224 in Iran. Some suspected that the government closed it as a platform used as a platform to organize the protest, though the Iranian justice system officially expressed concern over obscene content. But the ban did not stop the way to return to the app to the app.
“Sometimes we just do a lot to find a working VPN, just to log in to the dissolution and join our channels. If no one comes online, we call them. If their voice goes out of the mid-call, our hearts are worried that we may have been killed in bombing,” says Samin. “We are more online than ever, constantly inspecting each other. We have shared a lot – birthdays, missiles, noise of missiles, love of loved ones
Pregnancy, panic and perseverance
Meanwhile, the WhatsApp group created for pre -birth pre -yoga in Tehran has become an unexpected center of unexpected. Its members – pregnant women who are unable to escape the capital – now share breathing techniques, emergency tips and voice messages during the blackout period.
Ameneh and her friend Zoher, PhD holder and the United States Green Card recipients, were waiting for their parents’ visas to be approved for months. While both were expecting the children, they made different decisions: Zaohah returned to Iran and get support for her family for childbirth, while Amanneh to give birth to San Francisco alone – but safely – in the United States.
Now, four days after Israel’s Iran’s bombing, both women have been destroyed – but the group is still linked to the encrypted messaging app called “Yoga for pregnancy”.
In Tehran, an eight -month -old pregnant zoher says, “We advise each other about self -care and breathing to manage panic attacks.
“The sound of an explosion woke me up. A friend guided to focus on breathing and heartbeat to calm my contraction. The other time, when my baby did not move for a few hours, they asked me to play music, massage and try yoga again.”
US President Donald Trump is at risk of Tehran “Taken out” Tehran sent the waves of panic. Zohareh and many other pregnant women disabled to leave the city due to their physical condition and limited access to medical care. She said, “We planned to leave Tehran, but after seeing the possibility of traffic and early delivery, I decided to stay so I should get admission to the hospital.”
The bombs fall and uncertainty grows, the Iranian people live in digital space – calm, stable and deep human. Even if the sky does not warn and the government does not shelter, they are looking for each other and refusing to face darkness alone.
Editor’s note: Due to the sensitive nature of this story, the names have been changed to protect the people.
The story was published in collaboration with Eagb.
