Iran's public systems struggle to keep up during Israel's war

The Iranian capital, Tehran, is no longer plagued by its usual maddening traffic and the constant noise of cars, nor by the thick air pollution that used to cover the city in smog.

The streets of the 10-million-people city are now unusually quiet, but black smoke still hangs in the air. This time, it is not coming from car exhaust, but from the bombs that Israel has been dropping on the city.

A week after Israel launched a war against Iran, the mood in the capital and other cities has shifted from initial shock to a wartime state, where the sounds of explosions, ambulance sirens, and rescue crews are slowly becoming part of daily life.

"On the first night, the explosions were terrifying," said Shahriar, a 59-year-old resident of the Lavizan neighbourhood in northeast Tehran, which was hit by several blasts on the first night of the Israeli unprovoked attack.

"Our house still shakes from explosions in nearby neighbourhoods, and the sound of anti-aircraft fire keeps us awake at night. But it's war. I prefer not to look out the window. I don't want to see the smoke, because it means people are dying near me," Shahriar added to The New Arab.

According to him, there are no more long lines at local bakeries, and gas stations are no longer busy because those who could leave the city have already.

In the early days of the war, many people fled the capital for other parts of the country. The wave of displaced people was so large that roads out of Tehran were jammed, gas stations saw long lines, and fuel had to be rationed.

Now, a week into the war, the activity has shifted to Iran's northern cities along the Caspian Sea, where most of Tehran's residents have taken refuge.

Traffic and gas lines in small towns

Pouria, a resident of Noor in northern Iran, described the unusual situation in his city: "Everyone from Tehran has come north. It's not that people can't get what they need, but some shops have run out of basic items like pasta and canned food."

He said gas stations now have long lines, and traffic has filled the narrow streets of this town of about 30,000 people.

But it is not just the northern cities feeling the impact. Across the country, people are also dealing with a major cyberattack that hit Sepah Bank, one of Iran's main banks, disrupting its banking system and shutting down card services.

An Israeli-linked group called Gonjeshke Darande claimed responsibility for the attack on X, posting: "We, Gonjeshke Darande, destroyed all of Bank Sepah's data in a cyber operation."

As a result, millions of Iranians have been unable to access their bank accounts or use their cards to make payments.

On Wednesday, officials said the issue would soon be fixed. But by the time of writing, the problem still hadn’t been resolved.

On Thursday, a Bank Sepah customer told TNA that even going to a branch in person to withdraw cash did not work.

Return of checkpoints

Meanwhile, different sources have reported the return of Basij checkpoints on the streets. The Basij is a paramilitary force linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), often used to suppress protests against Iran's authoritarian regime.

These forces had wide-ranging authority in cities during the Iran-Iraq war, from implementing Islamic Sharia law to assisting the official police forces.

However, reports from those who have passed through the checkpoints suggest that, at least in the early days of their return, the Basij have been behaving differently. They have been stopping cars and checking vehicles in a noticeably polite and restrained manner.

"They didn't even stop our car, just waved us through," a Tehran resident who left the city last Saturday described to TNA.

"There were checkpoints in every city along the way, but they seemed mostly focused on pickup trucks and trailers. I think they just wanted to show they were present, without acting as aggressively as they used to," the resident added.

Before the war, Basij forces were known for speaking to civilians in an insulting and threatening way. This change in behaviour has caught people's attention.

Another Tehran resident, who was stopped in the capital while driving with his dog, highlighted this change in a video on social media.

In the video, he says, "They called my dog sweetie. I'm honestly shocked… I mean, thank you, sir, you're acting so nice, but why weren't you like this before?"