'Trees have roots in the land': Iranians refuse to flee Israeli war
5 Min Read
Amid ongoing Israeli strikes, Tehran residents remain in place, reflecting Iran’s broader stance of resilience and national resolve in the face of mounting Israeli aggression.
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A shopkeeper waits for customers at the historic Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 16, 2025, despite the ongoing Israeli aggression (AP)
In a recent report, the Financial Times highlighted how millions of Iranians are choosing to remain in Tehran despite relentless Israeli airstrikes and repeated evacuation warnings. Their decision to stay reflects a powerful display of national resilience and unwavering defiance in the face of "Israel's" escalating aggression.
In one affluent district, 80-year-old Mahin said she felt the blast from a nearby Israeli strike so powerfully that it filled the air with smoke. Still, she refuses to leave.
“Where shall I go? I feel more comfortable at home,” she told the Financial Times. The explosion left her so shaken she said it felt “like [her] whole digestive system was coming out of [her] mouth,” yet she added, “I don’t really want to pack and unpack and buy food somewhere else. Someone should stay, protect the home, and water the garden.”
Roads out of Tehran have been jammed since "Israel" launched its initial wave of strikes on Friday. The situation escalated when "Israel" ordered an evacuation of one district, and US President Donald Trump urged “everyone” to leave the capital immediately. Although the US is not currently directly engaged militarily, Trump is reportedly considering joining the Israeli war on Iran.
'It's now time to show solidarity with Iran'
No official data have been released on how many of Tehran’s 10 million residents have evacuated, but the city’s energy has slowed to a near-standstill. While daily life has quietened to a pace resembling the Nowruz holidays, essential services, grocery stores, banks, medical centers, and petrol stations remain operational, the report said.
All of them are from the Northern cities but staying in Tehran only to help people
— Soureh 🇮🇷🇵🇸 (@Soureh_design2) June 18, 2025
Love and respect to all the nurses and health workers who are fighting this war as well ❤️🩹 pic.twitter.com/geXcESOGdm
According to Iran’s Health Ministry, nearly 1,500 people have been killed or wounded in the Israeli aggression. While some have resorted to makeshift shelters, others have grown so accustomed to the Israeli aggression that they stand on rooftops at night to observe.
“As soon as there is any explosion, our neighbours go to windows and rooftops as if they are watching fireworks,” said a resident in western Tehran.
Crucially, many residents say they will not leave under any circumstances, as per the report.
“I’m no fan of the Islamic Republic, but it’s now time to show solidarity for Iran,” said Shirin, a private-sector employee. “Trump and Netanyahu say ‘evacuate’ as if they care about our health. How can a city of 10mn evacuate? My husband and I are not going to pave the ground for them. Let them kill us.”
Photos of Iranian civilians killed in Israeli attacks on Tehran are starting to be put up on billboards around the city. pic.twitter.com/TLOczvIRIz
— Séamus Malekafzali (@Seamus_Malek) June 18, 2025
Many fear the dangers of evacuation more than the bombs, especially with overwhelmed petrol stations, rationed fuel, and reports of food shortages in so-called safer areas. Anger is mounting toward both "Israel" and the US, whose warnings have only hardened some Iranians’ resolve to stay.
“I will stay in Tehran. It’s Iran’s heart,” journalist Farid Modarresi posted on X. “The project to evacuate Tehran is very dangerous,” he warned, suggesting it could be part of “a very complicated, hybrid operation to occupy land.”
اظهارات اخیر #دونالد_ترامپ غیردیپلماتیک و متجاوزانه بود؛ او بر جایگاه #فرمانده_جنگ نشسته و تهدید کرده ایران باید تسلیم بی‌قیدو‌شرط شود. گویی #امریکا می‌خواهد به جای #اسرائیل ادامه جنگ را فرماندهی کند. انگلیس و فرانسه نمی‌خواهند بگذارند اما ناتوان هستند؛ البته آلمان شادمان است.
— farid modarresi (@faridmodaresi) June 17, 2025
Solidarity campaigns are multiplying online, with locals offering support. “We are in Tehran and are happy to help,” posted a local psychology clinic.
Iran’s Health Minister Mohammad-Reza Zafarghandi informed international bodies on Tuesday that 1,481 people, mostly women and children, have been killed or injured since Friday. He warned that attacks on nuclear sites could unleash radiation across the region.
'Trees have their roots in the land'
Iranian leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei praised the public’s resilience.
“The calm, courageous and timely behaviour of the Iranian nation in the recent issue of the foolish and malicious aggression by the Zionist enemy” is, he said, “a sign of the nation’s growth and the strengthening of rationality and spirituality.”
In an address earlier today, Sayyed Ali Khamenei reaffirmed the Iranian people’s defiance in the face of war and threats.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 18, 2025
He warned the #US against military intervention, stating it would face consequences "it could never mend," and condemned the Israeli attack as a grave… pic.twitter.com/5zBDTj38Pp
This is Tehran, during attacks
— Soureh 🇮🇷🇵🇸 (@Soureh_design2) June 17, 2025
A musician playing the violin in the street for his neighbours so they don't hear the explosions
It's so cinematic.. soulful and so Iranian pic.twitter.com/GSeAqfAm9P
The sentiment of resistance is echoed by citizens like a Tehran housewife, who posted on Instagram: “I want Tehran more than any time before in my life.”
“When a forest is on fire, only animals flee. Trees have their roots in the land,” she told the Financial Times.
Wider context
It is worth noting that this comes shortly after Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz issued an open threat on Monday against civilians in Tehran, vowing that they will pay the price.
“The residents of Tehran will pay the price, and soon,” he vowed, in a direct threat to civilians in the Iranian capital.
This is happening as "Israel" has escalated its rhetoric by threatening to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities, including the heavily fortified Fordow site, and to assassinate Iranian Leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei, while openly discussing regime change in Tehran. These threats come amid growing signs of direct US involvement in the war on Iran.
The latest Israeli strikes follow a pattern of increasingly insolent targeting of civilians over recent days. Reports have documented repeated attacks on civilian sites, including hospitals, media outlets, civilian vehicles, and now humanitarian and police institutions. Meanwhile, the Israeli settlers are taking cover in shelters and underground bunkers, and some are even fleeing the entity by boat, by any means possible.
Read more: 'Israel' strikes Red Crescent, police HQs, civilians in Tehran
