For many Iranians, the rapid chain of events — a 12-day war with Israel followed by a sudden, U.S.-brokered ceasefire — felt like a shockwave. As they return to neighborhoods scarred by Israeli airstrikes, anxiety is growing over how Iran’s theocratic leadership might respond next.
Human rights groups warn that the government is intensifying its crackdown, with a sharp rise in executions of dissidents and political prisoners. Since Israel began its strikes on June 13, aimed at Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and senior military figures, Tehran has reported executing six people accused of spying for Israel — including three in a single day, this past Wednesday.
In conversations with The Associated Press, four Iranians expressed concern that only a small segment of the population still backs the regime. They fear that the aftermath of the Israeli attacks could crush any emerging hopes for reform or political change in the Islamic Republic, which has been under clerical rule since the 1979 revolution.
