Heavy US and Israeli airstrikes struck military and residential areas across Tehran on March 2, sparking fierce domestic polarization. While official channels decried attacks on civilians, anti-regime factions blamed the government for using human shields and provoking the conflict.
On March 2, 2026, severe US and Israeli bombardments struck the Iranian capital of Tehran, hitting a mix of military installations and urban centers. The breaking news channel خبرفورینیوز | اخبار جنگ | حمله امریکا reported that all areas of Tehran are under heavy bombardment, specifically noting a strike on the Shahid Bagheri military town in West Tehran. Meanwhile, the کانال رسمی جمعیت هلال احمر (Official Iranian Red Crescent Society) confirmed the bombing of residential areas, singling out Motahari/Turkmenistan Street as a hit zone.
State-aligned channels and regional "Axis of Resistance" proxies heavily emphasized civilian casualties, framing the strikes as unprovoked aggression. The pro-government channel حامیان پزشکیان (Pezeshkian Supporters) reported the "bombing of the civilian population by the Israeli enemy on Sepahbod Gharani Street". This exact phrasing and sentiment was echoed by the Houthi-affiliated مقاومت اسلامی انصارالله یمن (Islamic Resistance Ansarollah of Yemen), which also condemned the strikes on civilians by the "Israeli enemy".
Despite the official narrative, public reaction in chat groups like گروه خبر فوری was intensely polarized, with substantial anti-regime sentiment openly celebrating the strikes or blaming the Iranian government. Several users accused the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of embedding themselves in civilian areas. One user provided a specific address in the Narmak neighborhood (Dardasht, Rostami Kia building), claiming it was leased to the IRGC and accusing them of using residents as "human shields." Another commenter in گروه خبرفوری argued that "every ordinary Iranian citizen who is killed is the result of IRGC missiles hitting Israeli residential areas". Other dissidents mocked state forces, joking that targeted personnel were "going to the supreme leader of the revolution" or celebrating the attackers by cheering for "Uncle Trump. Uncle Netanyahu".
Conversely, regime loyalists and nationalists in the same chats lashed out at the opposition. One user fiercely condemned dissidents, stating, "Those bastards who were saying 'freedom,' here is your freedom, an American rifle barrel...". Another user expressed disgust at Iranians celebrating the attacks, asking if they are "satisfied that because a targeted person is eliminated, the blood of many other innocents is spilled?". Amid the political vitriol, practical survival advice circulated, with users warning citizens to charge their power banks and phones immediately, anticipating that power plants would be the next targets and could result in weeks of electricity, water, gas, and internet outages.
The source material reveals extreme polarization in the Iranian public's reaction to the bombings. While official channels (Red Crescent, pro-government feeds, and proxy media like Ansarollah) maintain strict discipline in condemning the 'Israeli enemy' for killing civilians, the chat groups are highly volatile. Many anti-regime citizens are actively cheering the strikes, providing street-level claims of IRGC safehouses, and placing the moral blame for civilian deaths squarely on the Iranian government's prior actions. The translation faithfully retains the raw, highly charged emotional framing from both sides, including slurs and mockery, to accurately reflect the socio-political temperature.