Iranians seal windows and store food and water as they prepare for attack
While the US builds up its military assets in the
Gulf, Iranians quietly brace for a new war
Published date: 31 January 2026
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iranians-seal-windows-store-food-water-prepare-for-attack
As night fell on 30 January, a tense sense of dread
settled over Iranians at home and abroad, with rumours of an imminent US military strike taking hold across Iran.
"I kept waiting for it to hit. I couldn't sleep
until morning. I was waking up and straining to hear any sound of explosions.
Let's see what happens tonight," Milad*, a 43-year-old engineer living in
the capital Tehran, said about that night.
Shohreh, a 68-year-old woman, goes to a park near her
home in east Tehran every morning for group exercise. When she returned home on
the morning of 31 January, she said, "Today, all my friends were saying
that it would hit tonight."
Shohreh, who opposes a foreign attack on Iran, said
people seemed to be losing their minds.
"They think that if the US strikes, everything
will be fine," she said. "Because of the killings committed by the
Islamic Republic, people are becoming desperate. They no longer know what is in
their interest and what is against them."
For the past week, as Washington has once again beaten
the drum of war against Iran, the prospect of conflict has become a real and
present fear for Iranians.
The movement of a large US military fleet to the
Middle East has not only triggered a new multibillion-dollar arms deal with Saudi Arabia and Israel; for Iranians,
it has brought confusion, psychological pressure, and fear of a disastrous
future.
Iranians are still in shock following the
establishment's bloody crackdown on protests that erupted on 28 December in
Tehran's bazaar over the economic crisis and quickly spread to cities across
the country.
According to government sources, 3,117 people, mostly
security forces, were killed in the crackdown. However, human rights groups
outside Iran believe the number is much higher, with some putting it at more
than 6,500 people, the majority of them civilians. No international
fact-finding mission has yet been established to verify the figures.
'Seal the windows'
Arzoo, a 32-year-old government employee opposed to
the establishment, described a quiet anxiety among people. Many avoid talking
about the deadliest aspects of war, which are all too familiar after last
summer's brutal war with Israel, and try to stay calm. But everyone is waiting
for the first explosion.
"My neighbour across the street, in the building
where I live, has sealed his windows," Arzoo told Middle East Eye.
"He said, 'Seal the windows. When they bomb,
there will be no difference between the regime and the opposition.'"
Beneath the fragile calm that Iranian society clings
to, perhaps as a way to manage its own mental strain, lurks a persistent
question: what to do when war begins?
Social media, which became accessible again after a
three-week internet blackout during the crackdown on protests, is now filled
with advice on how to survive missile attacks and bombs.
The list of precautions is long: stock enough food and
water for 10 days; keep a first-aid kit within reach; place identification and
essential documents in a bag for quick evacuation; keep emergency exits clear;
move to open spaces at the sound of an explosion; lie on the ground next to a
wall. Dozens of similar tips circulate on Persian-language platforms.
The sources of much of this advice are unclear. It is
also unknown whether the same bots active during the June
Israeli-US strikes –
promoting Reza Pahlavi, the son of the deposed Shah – are behind it. Whoever is
behind these posts has an evident impact.
Arzoo said she has seen the messages and has stored
"10 bottles of drinking water and a few cans of food at home, just in
case".
Amin, a 75-year-old retiree with kidney disease, said
he bought a three-month supply of medication last week and is keeping it at
home.
"Some of this advice may be media
manipulation," he said, "but I bought my essentials anyway, out of
caution. No one knows what will happen tomorrow."
Amin, who lived through the eight-year Iran-Iraq war and last year's 12-day war, said he is
deeply saddened to see his country on the brink of another war.
A leftist activist who has opposed the theocratic
rulers since the 1979 revolution, he said: "This regime executed my
closest comrades after the revolution and is now killing our children. I have
no sympathy for it. But I also hate war. War will destroy everything left for
us."
These fears and preparations are not limited to those
inside Iran. They are shared by the Iranian diaspora, estimated at around four
million people. Many fear another nationwide internet blackout, like those
during the 12-day war and last month's crackdown, that would disconnect them
from their loved ones.
They also fear for the lives of their families.
Fatemeh, who lives in Finland with her husband and
son, worries about her elderly parents in Tehran. During the war with Israel,
her parents could not leave the city because they had no access to
transportation.
"I asked my parents to leave Tehran before a new
war started," Fatemeh said. "They answered they wouldn't go anywhere.
They said they had nowhere to go, which is true. That's why I asked a close
friend to visit them and buy basic supplies and medicines during these
days."
'A fool like Donald Trump'
Across Iran, cities remain calm, at least for now.
There are no long lines at gas stations. Shops are
open. People are going to work as usual. Early in the morning, schoolchildren
wait outside their homes for the school bus.
Still, the sense of alarm is widespread.
Soroush, a 27-year-old student, moved with his family
to a city in northern Iran during the war to escape Israeli missiles. He said
while the panic of that period is no longer visible, the fear of
another war runs through everyday conversations.
"The vibe is not like the collective panic of the
12-day war," he said. "It feels like people are mentally prepared.
Before the Israeli attack, we had no idea what war would look like. Now we have
an image in front of us. We know what we will face."
Soroush feels that the lives of Iranians have
turned into a game for the country's leaders and for Western powers. He points
to the betting website Polymarket, where many have bet thousands of dollars on
a US strike on the night of 31 January.
"Our lives and our deaths have become
entertainment," he said. "A game for others."
Saba, 41, spoke of her fear for the future of
her eight-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son. She also described her
frustration with the government's repression, the self-interest of opposition
figures abroad, and the US warmongering.
"What a miserable people we are," she said.
"Our rulers massacre people in the streets. Reza Pahlavi has become the
face of our opposition abroad. And our enemy is a fool like Donald Trump."
*Names have been changed for security reasons.
