'No One Is Evacuating Tehran'

'All the government and private offices are functioning.'
'Overall, life is continuing normally.'
'People of Iran are showing spirit and resilience in the face of adversity.'

United States President Donald Trump issued a warning to Tehran's residents at 2 am local time on Tuesday morning to evacuate the city and evade another brutal Israeli attack, but that grim warning has not deterred folks in Tehran who refuse to leave the Iranian capital.

"No one is evacuating Tehran. All the government and private offices are functioning. The situation in Tehran is normal," businessman Seyed Mahdi Kamali tells Rediff speaking from Tehran.

Schools, shopping malls and offices are functioning normally in the city, Kamali adds, hoping that Iran's air defence will intercept the Israeli missile barrage.

Kamali, speaking on WhatsApp, claims there is no shortage of food and water in Tehran.

Israel has declared that the Jewish State now controls the skies over Tehran. "Israeli war planes have never come to Tehran's skies because Iran's air defence will target them," claims Kamali, adding, "Iran has shot down Israeli F-35 and F-16 fighter aircraft."

Israel has stated that it has not lost any fighter jet in combat.

The war, which began when Israel targeted Iran's nuclear facilities on Friday, June 13, 2025, morning, then assassinated senior Iranian military officials and nuclear scientists,, stretched to the fifth day on Tuesday with 224 people dead in Iran and 24 in Israel.

Israel has claimed that it has destroyed Iran's missile launchers, thus diminishing the threat of Iranian missiles being fired at Israeli cities.

"If Israel's claim is true, why do we see pictures and videos of destroyed buildings in Tel Aviv and Haifa on the news?" asks Kamali.

"Iranian morale," the businessman declares, "is at an all time high."

"Iran experienced much worse than this during the war with Saddam Hussein," says Kamali. Iran and Iraq fought a brutal eight-year war between 1980 and 1988; hundreds of thousands of Iranians perished in that conflict.

"We had none of the military capabilities that we have today. Just wait and see what Iran does in the next few days."

Zameer Abbas Jafri, an Indian student at the Al-Mustafa international university in Qom, believes the West may be underestimating Iran's military might.

Qom is about 148 km away from Tehran and is a spiritual powerhouse of Shi'ism, the second largest sect of Muslims.

"Iran can hit Israel every day for the next six years. They have that much military capability," says Jafri. "Iran is 75 times bigger (in land mass size) than Israel."

"Iranians are Shia Muslims. For them the shahadhat (martyrdom) of Imam Hussein is of supreme importance," points out Jafri. "They are brave people and their bravery is on a different level compared to people of other countries."

"Israelis, not Iranians, run to bunkers," adds Jafri. "Iran has no bunkers built for its citizens but Israel has built bunkers all over their country because they are scared for their lives."

"Despite the ongoing military threats," says Masoud Heydari, who work as an English teacher and as a hotel receptionist in Qom, "ordinary Iranians are showing remarkable resilience."

"Daily life continues -- schools remain open, businesses operate, and people support one another with courage. There is a strong sense of unity and national pride during these difficult times."

"Fortunately, there is no serious shortage of food, water, or other daily necessities," says Heydari. "Despite the ongoing conflict, most supply chains are still functioning. Grocery stores and pharmacies are open, and people can find what they need."

"Overall, life is continuing normally. People of Iran are showing spirit and resilience in the face of adversity."