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Life under constant fear in Tehran
A woman in Tehran, identified only as Shirin for her safety, spends her days and nights at home, bracing for the sound of aircraft or explosions. The psychological toll of living under Iran's repressive regime, compounded by the recent conflict, has left her with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Her left hand has lost partial function, a physical manifestation of her anxiety.
"Every time I hear a disturbing noise, my body reacts on its own. The mental strain has numbed part of my left hand-it doesn't work anymore. I'm terrified the war might reignite," she told the BBC.
Regime flaunts power as repression escalates
While Shirin remains in hiding, Iran's government stages public displays of force, including parades featuring women armed with heavy machine guns. These spectacles contrast sharply with the reality faced by activists like Shirin, who describe a climate of helplessness.
The BBC spoke with multiple sources inside Iran, all of whom reported heightened repression since the war began in February. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has documented widespread abuses, including torture and extrajudicial killings, against detainees-many arrested during the January protests. Activists estimate over 50,000 people have been detained since then, with many held incommunicado.
A past arrest and the threat of return
Shirin's first encounter with Iran's security forces occurred in 2024, during the fallout from the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in morality police custody. She was speaking to her mother about dinner plans when a car pulled up beside her. Two plainclothes officers-later identified as secret police-approached.
"They asked if I was [her name]. I said yes and hung up on my mother," she recalled. Inside the car, an officer scolded her for not wearing a hijab. A struggle ensued when the officer tried to force one on her. Shirin resisted, pulling the officer's hand away.
After interrogation, she was released on the condition she remain silent for two months-or face solitary confinement. Today, she says, such leniency is unlikely. The threat of arrest looms constantly, with cars pulling up outside her home or phone calls summoning her for questioning.
War and repression fuel a mental health crisis
The combination of state violence and the recent Israeli-American airstrikes has exacerbated Iran's mental health emergency. The Iranian Red Crescent has reported tens of thousands of distress calls since the conflict began. The World Health Organization (WHO) has documented attacks on 18 medical facilities, straining an already overburdened healthcare system.
A Tehran hospital medic, speaking anonymously to the BBC, described the overwhelming demand for psychological support. "The moment you ask a patient how they're feeling, they start crying. We have one psychologist who comes just one day a week-for a population of 26,000. I never imagined things would spiral this far out of control."
Activists brace for worse if regime survives war
Shirin, who lost her job due to her activism, says her views on the war have shifted. While she once celebrated strikes against regime targets, the civilian casualties-including 25 deaths in a partially constructed building and a one-year-old orphaned-have left her devastated.
She now faces a suspended prison sentence, which authorities could enforce at any time. Like many activists, she fears repression will intensify if the regime survives the conflict. "The crackdown on personal freedoms will only get worse," she said. "But we endure these hardships to keep Iran standing. I told my mother, 'I'll even accept prison-just let Iran survive.'"
