Zanjan, Iran — A black banner hangs at the border crossing with images of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei visible below, promise of vengeance against the United States and Israel.
But 12 hours’ drive south of the capital, Tehran, daily life continued, with only occasional signs of the ongoing war, including at a Shiite religious center that officials say was damaged by a recent airstrike.
Associated Press journalists traveled after entering Iran from Turkey on Saturday. They got a glimpse of the country at the center a regional war that is shocked the world economy and shows no sign of ending after five weeks Khamenei was killed In the initial American and Israeli salvos.
The Associated Press has been given permission by the Iranian government to send an additional team to the country for a brief reporting trip. AP is already working in Iran. The visiting team must be accompanied by a fixture from a government affiliated company. The AP retains full editorial control over its content.
The first major signs of the war’s destruction came in the northwestern city of Zanjan, about six hours from the border.
Iranian officials say the airstrike hit a religious community center, known as Husseiniyah, killing two people and destroying a clinic and a library. Other parts of the complex, some of which are centuries old, suffered damage, including its golden dome.
Asked about the attack, the Israeli military said it attacked “a military headquarters” and sought to avoid damaging civilian facilities, without elaborating.
“This has hurt me and caused me great distress,” said Somayeh Shojaei, a local resident who attends religious and cultural events at the centre. He said, “With these air strikes (America and Israel) are showing their malicious intentions to the whole world.”
According to Jafar Mohammadi, the provincial director of cultural and Islamic guidance, the attack killed a library caretaker and a volunteer of Iranian Red Crescent first responders.
He said poor people received free treatment at the clinic and students used the library which had more than 35,000 books, including ancient manuscripts.
He said he did not know why the compound was targeted.
“Iran wanted negotiate for peace With (US President Donald) Trump, but Trump responded with war,” Mohammadi said. “He started the war, but we will definitely be the victorious side.”
The US and Israel have launched thousands of strikes across the country, and Trump has threatened to bomb Iran. return to the stone ageWhere are they from?” Over the weekend, he repeated monday deadline to reopen iran strait of hormuzAn important waterway for oil and gas.
living leaders of iran They remain defiant and in control, rejecting what they call unfair American peace offers. Israel has given no indication that it plans to end its attacks, and has called on Iranians to overthrow their leaders.
Even as the war creates global turmoil – and creates fear and anxiety within Iran – daily life goes on.
In town after town on the streets of Tehran, AP correspondents saw normal traffic, businesses open and people walking in the streets. A restaurant served Iranian dishes such as grilled lamb and rice, barley soup and saffron drinks and REM’s “Losing My Religion” was playing over the loudspeakers.
Many women can be seen going about their day without the theocracy’s mandatory head covering, which has been imposed It has decreased in recent years.
The team passed through two checkpoints on the way to Tehran without stopping.
There was silence in the city after midnight. The previous night there had been heavy air strikes on the mountains overlooking the capital.
Tehran has been on the front lines, witnessing a series of attacks that the US and Israel say targeted military and internal security forces. Authorities in Iran say more than 1,900 people have died. It is not clear how many were soldiers or civilians.
AP correspondents saw several government buildings and police stations that were destroyed. They passed several checkpoints operated Plainclothes Basij, an internal security forceand uniformed members of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
He was stopped once and asked to open the car and show the press card before proceeding.
Fuel is heavily subsidized, making a gallon (4 L) of gasoline cost about 15 US cents. But people are only allowed to buy about 5 gallons (20 liters) at a time. There was no sign of gas lines.
In Zanjan, Mohammed Massoumi, a retired soldier, said the conflict with the US – “the arrogance of the world” – goes back to 1953 CIA-backed coup This is ingrained in the minds of many Iranians. He expressed hope that Iran’s leaders will protect the country.
“The enemy sees that we are never going to bow down,” he said.
___
Associated Press writer Sam Metz in Ramallah, West Bank, contributed.
