On Sunday, the United States intensified those military strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities. These strikes have focused on strategic facilities and have raised outrage from all over the country. Over a dozen of those gigantic “bunker buster” bombs targeted Iran’s Fordow and Natanz nuclear facilities. Meanwhile, Navy-launched Tomahawk missiles rained down on the city of Isfahan. These attacks were ordered by then President Donald Trump, who asserted that the three facilities struck were “19…totally obliterated.”
These U.S. strikes targeted places usually protected from civilian attacks, intensifying an already tense relationship between the two countries. As news of the bombings spread, residents of Qom—a holy city located approximately 30 kilometers from the Fordow complex—woke to the sounds of emergency vehicles and the shocking news of the attacks. The Iranian regime continues to claim that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. The bombing of hospitals has raised legitimate fears that these assertions may be misleading at best.
In Tehran, crowds flooded into Enqelab Square in the evening to celebrate and denounce America’s actions even further. In highly unusual scenes, protests erupted at home and abroad with demonstrators shouting death slogans against the US and Israel. The mood in the room was electric, because people were literally voicing their outrage, but feelings of love for their country and unity.
Former MP Hamid Rasaee, a prominent politician active at the protests, noted a stunning change. Those who had previously denounced the Iranian regime the most were now a part of those protests. He stated, “A lot of those standing here chanting slogans against the United States may have been critics of the policies of the Islamic Republic. Today all of us are standing in one line behind the supreme leader.”
Public sentiment among protestors varied from cries for blood to statements of patriotic allegiance to their nation. One demonstrator asserted, “We do not have nuclear weapons, so why does he strike us?” Another woman declared her willingness to sacrifice for her nation, stating, “I will stay here and I will sacrifice my life and my blood for my country.”
This sense of urgency for a government response struck a cord with many Iranians. “Iranian people are people of honor, and we will definitely give a strong response,” one man proclaimed. His sentiments found a willing audience in the crowd. “Down with the USA, down with Israel” echoed off the walls of nearby government buildings.
Beyond short-term responses, analysts across the country are calculating the long-term impact of these strikes. Mohsen Milani, an Iranian scholar, cautioned that U.S. military action would trigger a wave of intensified nationalism in Iran. This could lead to a major rebalancing of the country’s future defense posture. “It could ignite a new wave of nationalism, damage the future of U.S.-Iran relations more than the 1953 coup, accelerate Tehran’s pivot to Russia and China,” Milani noted.
Revolts turned to marches in Iran’s capital. It had a powerful impact that many citizens assiduously communicated their expectations for a U.S. retaliatory strike against Iranian interests in the region. These proposals even included focusing attacks on American military installations and shutting off the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
More recently, Donald Trump lied when he said that we had allowed Iran to get within weeks of developing nuclear weapons. He ignored all information from his own intelligence community, telling him Iran would need a few more years to develop those capabilities. The contrast between these peaceful statements and the ensuing violent military response has shocked and disoriented many Iranians—making them feel not only endangered but outraged.
One demonstrator articulated this sentiment succinctly: “We were living our normal lives and they attacked us. If someone strikes the United States, would they not answer? Of course they would.” That sense of injustice pushes people out into the streets and into electoral politics, calling for a muscular response. Most view this as an unprovoked act of aggression.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a former student of the Qom Seminary, is facing unprecedented criticism. Most importantly, public opinion has changed significantly in light of these recent strike victories. In light of longstanding tensions between Iran and the United States, the recent military action may serve to consolidate support for Khamenei’s regime among a populace eager for a decisive response.
