Explosions rock Iran as residents panic and some find relief

Around 09:40 local time on February 28, 2026, explosions attributed to U.S. and Israeli attacks, BBC reported, sent panicked residents across several Iranian cities rushing for cover and filling streets with stalled traffic and terrified children. Videos circulating on social media showed people running from blast sites with screams and crying audible, while AP and Getty photographs captured smoke over Tehran’s skyline and jammed streets as people tried to clear the way.

NPR reported that in Tehran panicked residents rushed home to shelter and “terrified children poured out of classrooms” as U.S. air strikes hit the capital, citing Iranians reached by phone before communications were cut. An anonymous resident in western Tehran told NPR, “They have hit many targets around me and we hear fighter jets and missiles exploding. People were panicking and trying to get to their homes. Children are running out of school.” The interviewee asked to remain anonymous because of fears of arrest.

Reporters and callers inside Iran described an almost total internet blackout since the attacks began, making independent verification difficult. BBC said the shutdown has made it “difficult to contact anyone inside the country,” although some people briefly accessed the internet using SpaceX’s Starlink satellite service and virtual private networks, BBC reported. Text messages circulating in Iran were also reported to have read, “Help has come,” urging people to stay at home and calling on regime forces to lay down their arms.

The Iranian foreign ministry, as reported by NPR, said the strikes by the U.S. and Israel hit defense infrastructure and civilian sites across the country and called for an immediate meeting of the UN Security Council. NPR also reported an Iranian government claim that one of the missiles struck a girls’ elementary school in Minab in southern Hormozgan province, killing at least 53 students; that figure is presented as the Iranian government’s claim and has not been independently verified in the material available.

Reactions inside Iran were sharply divided. BBC reported that while scenes of panic unfolded in some neighborhoods, others saw a sense of relief at the prospect of the regime’s downfall. Pro-regime figures reached by BBC Newshour told reporters, “We have heard lots of explosions. I live in middle of Tehran.” Many residents, BBC said, had been preparing for the possibility of a strike, lining up at petrol stations the night before and beginning to leave Tehran for the perceived safety of the Caspian Sea region to the north.

The violence rippled across the region. NPR reported explosions heard in Jordan and the Jordanian military’s statement that its forces had shot down two ballistic missiles. Related reports referenced by BBC included Iranian claims of striking a U.S. base in Bahrain and a broader U.S. military build-up in the region, but the supplied material did not provide independent confirmation of those claims.

Diplomatically, NPR noted that Oman's foreign minister, who had mediated indirect U.S.-Iran talks earlier in the week, flew to Washington to brief U.S. officials and said he believed negotiations had made progress. Iran’s call for a UN Security Council meeting underscores how quickly a local shock has widened into a regional diplomatic emergency.

Photographs from Feb. 28 show Tehran streets choked with stationary cars and a skyline clouded by smoke, visual reminders of lives interrupted and a communications blackout that leaves many details unconfirmed. Independent verification of casualty claims and statements from U.S. and Israeli officials remain outstanding.