"There is a constant sense of fear in the air," a 37-year-old mother in Tehran told DW. "Every time I hear a loud noise, I flinch. Even when a door slams, I jump — thinking that bombs are falling." Now, unlike in the opening months of the war, her children are back at school.
"I don't work, but keeping the children at home out of fear is not a solution," she said. "They would go stir-crazy in our small apartment." Schools remain open across Iran despite the military standoff with the US and Israel. However, some parents whose children attend private schools have received messages from those schools explaining what to do in the event of a renewed war or other emergency.
Numerous parents have shared such messages on social media. Irans Education Ministry has tried to reassure the public. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video "People should not pay attention to rumors spread with the aim of sowing fear and forcing schools to close," Ali Farhadi, a ministry spokesperson, said in a recent media interview.
Farhadi said the ministry would decide whether the schools stay open or close, and would do so in coordination with the security authorities. Should the security outlook change, the situation will be reassessed accordingly, the official said. Parallel to Farhadi's appeal to disregard rumors aimed at raising fear, state media themselves are discussing scenarios of a possible nuclear attack.
On November 2, Iranian state television broadcast an advisory on protective measures in case of a nuclear strike. People were advised to remain in a shelter for at least 24 hours in the event of such an emergency. Many in Iran fear that the United States is preparing to use nuclear weapons against the "Pickaxe Mountain" underground bunker about 220 kilometers (130 miles) south of Tehran.
US President Donald Trump has hinted at attacking the location, which is close to Iran's Natanz nuclear facility, but made no explicit mention of using nuclear weapons. Iran's government denies that any work related to its nuclear program is being carried out at the mountain bunker. The fighting between the United States and Iran has mostly petered out in recent months as the Trump administration focused on the midterm election.
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