Iranians Say Trump’s Intervention Brought Destruction, Not Liberation

 https://time.com/article/2026/03/10/iran-war-trump-us-israel-regime/

After nearly two weeks of U.S.-Isreali airstrikes, Iranians describe a country exhausted and uncertain. Bombing campaigns that targeted military sites and security infrastructure have also damaged police stations, fuel depots and power facilities.

Residents who cheered the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Feb. 28 in the first wave of strikes, say they are confounded by Trump’s suggestions that the assault may end with his regime still in place. 

"Trump either didn't have a clear strategy to begin with, or it was based on wrong data," said Mahmood, the CEO of an IT company in Tehran. "None of what he has done has helped the people of Iran. Our situation isn't any better.”

Despite the scale of the bombardment, the Islamic Republic’s core institutions appear to have held firm. At night, its security forces and loyalists fill the streets of major cities, first to mourn the “martyrdom” of the elder Khamenei, then to laud the appointment of his son, Mojtaba, whose ascension to Supreme Leader was announced Monday.