ARTE⏰ Available until March 4, 2029 – FRENCH
Shock, fear, and hope: Iranians experienced the first days of the war torn between conflicting emotions. Spontaneous expressions of joy from a large segment of the Iranian population erupted immediately after the first American and Israeli bombings, but also massive, more or less spontaneous, pro-regime rallies…
For several weeks, Iranians had been expecting a war. Most hoped it would lead to regime change. From the very first bombings, cries of joy rang out across the country, and a few impromptu dances even broke out in the major cities. But for now, it was impossible to go any further. The police and regime militias still controlled the country, and demonstrating in the streets was too dangerous, especially under the bombs. The regime orchestrates its propaganda by organizing large rallies in memory of Supreme Leader Khamenei. Our teams filmed these first days of the war in Tehran, but also on the other side of the border, in Iraqi Kurdistan, where thousands of Iranians are waiting to return home to participate in some way in bringing down the mullahs’ regime.
