A joint US-Israeli operation killed scores of high-profile Iranian leaders on Saturday and Sunday, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to multiple reports. Iran has retaliated by launching strikes on Israel, Qatar, Bahrain, and the UAE.
Domestically in Iran, reaction to a two-week ceasefire announced overnight has been mixed. Video from Tehran shows crowds gathering in small groups in Enghelab Square, some waving Iranian flags, with mixed feelings and heated discussions. Footage captured by pro-regime figure Majid Nouri offers a peek inside this domestic reaction. According to The Guardian - Main UK, Majid Nouri described debates and arguments starting overnight and stretching into Wednesday morning after the ceasefire news, with people shocked and upset. Nouri said the crowds did not expect a ceasefire and had been debating for hours, adding that initial anger will calm down and they do not trust America. News agencies reported pro-government demonstrators chanted slogans against America, Israel, and compromisers and burned US and Israeli flags. In other parts of Tehran, there were a few cautious celebrations in the dark early morning hours on Wednesday. As the sun rose over Tehran, life largely returned to normal, with a mood marked by exhaustion, cautious optimism, and mistrust. According to The Guardian - Main UK, Ali, a 31-year-old man in Tehran, described most people not trusting the US and being unsure whether to be happy or worried, wanting the war to end for good. With widespread internet blackouts, it is hard to assess the general mood in Iran, where anti-regime voices are violently suppressed.
Around 3am in the morning after the news [of the ceasefire] came out, there were debates and arguments between people. Still they are talking in groups and some good debates have formed between people. Mainly they are shocked, they are upset.
In Israel, protests against the war have grown. Over the weekend, the number of demonstrators increased, with thousands of people in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem taking to the streets. Hundreds of Israelis demonstrated in Tel Aviv on Saturday against Israel's war and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to Dagens Nyheter, an anonymous man at the Tel Aviv demonstration described having been in the war for four weeks and no one really knowing what the purpose is. According to Dagens Nyheter, 76-year-old participant Joanne Levine described no one having thought about how to get out of this, and there being no end in sight. The proportion of Israeli opponents to the Iran war has increased since it began four weeks ago, though general support remains high, with 78% of Jewish Israelis supporting the war and 19% of the Arab Israeli minority, compared to 90% of the Jewish population in the first week. AFP images show police and protesters clashing at times in Tel Aviv, with at least 13 people arrested, and police arrested up to 20 people across the country.
Internationally, thousands of protesters will descend on central London this weekend for several demonstrations linked to the ongoing war. The biggest event is expected to be a Stop the War demonstration against US and Israeli strikes later today, marching from Russell Square to Richmond Terrace, Whitehall. A separate Stage for Freedom demonstration against the Iranian government will march from Hyde Park Corner to the Iranian embassy. Scotland Yard has imposed strict conditions on the demonstrations, banning amplified sound equipment and fireworks. Superintendent Neil Holyoak said officers will be on duty to police events safely and peacefully, and will not hesitate to act if they see criminality. Organizers of a demonstration wrote on social media calling for no war on Iran and no to US and Israeli aggression, and urged UK and Scottish governments to condemn attacks and oppose cooperation with US militarism. In Glasgow, a demonstration took place at the Buchanan Street Steps with US, Israeli, and Iranian flags, and signs reading 'Make Iran Great Again'. Similar protests were held across the UK on Saturday, including in London where thousands of activists led a demonstration towards the US embassy.
The initial fever and anger will calm down and I think the atmosphere will become much better. In no way do we trust America. I don't think there is one Iranian who trusts America. And God willing victory is ours.
In Stockholm, a demonstration was held outside the US embassy on Saturday where supporters of exiled prince Reza Pahlavi advocated for regime change in Iran. Exiled Iranians at the Stockholm demonstration hope the deal being negotiated between the US and Iran will fall apart or not hold.
Regionally, the Iran-supported Houthi movement in Yemen confirmed on Saturday morning that it has entered the war and has directed missile and drone attacks against Israel over the weekend. On Sunday, foreign ministers from Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan will meet for talks on ending the Iran war, but none of the warring parties will be present. The Trump administration has recently oscillated between claiming the war is about to end and threatening escalation, with sources saying the US Pentagon is preparing to deploy ground troops. Axios and Wall Street Journal have reported that the US is considering sending an additional 10,000 ground troops to the Middle East. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said after a meeting with G7 counterparts that the US can achieve all its goals without ground troops.
Most people here don't trust the US and still don't know exactly what is going to happen, so they are unsure whether they should be happy or worried. People want the war to end for good, and with the conditions
Majid Nouri is the son of Hamid Nouri, who was convicted in a Swedish court for ordering the execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 but was sent back to Tehran in a 2024 prisoner exchange. Iran is being hit by a US-Israeli air campaign while facing the biggest anti-regime protests in years.
We have now been in the war for four weeks, and no one really knows what the purpose is.
No one has thought about how in hell we are going to get out of this, and there is no end in sight.