TEHRAN: For a moment Tehran resembled a city at peace, with birdsong, joggers and tranquil views of the snow-capped Alborz mountains in the distance. Then the sound of another explosion ripped through the air.
A week ago, opening strikes by the US and Israel killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, upended residents’ lives and transformed the city streets into a battleground.
In Tehran’s west, a block that belonged to the security forces had been blasted apart, and the entire surrounding area was choked with rubble.
Bizarrely, a green gate and fence enclosing the site stood untouched.
None were surprised by the war, and few had believed the nuclear talks then taking place between Iran and the US would avert it.
