'We just need to endure': Iranians detail life in Tehran amid the war

Since 2009, Leila has taken to the streets of Tehran, raising her voice against the Islamic Republic.

She spoke of protesting Iran's mandatory hijab laws and the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody in 2022 after being arrested by the country's morality police for not wearing her hijab properly.

"I was an activist in university, saying death to the dictator. Since then, I have been a part of any movement that goes against this regime," Leila said.

ABC News has concealed Leila's full name for her safety.

Over the years, Leila said she has watched friends be beaten with batons and others blinded by rubber bullets by riot police. Once, when she was fleeing through a panicked crowd to escape pursuing security forces, she said she injured her arm.

Each time, she said her hopes for change were crushed as the protests faded and life returned to what she described as a grim routine.

But Leila said she believes this time is different. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, was killed on Feb. 28 after a large-scale air attack on the country by the United States and Israel. He had presided over a complex theocratic system since 1989.

"It's a very good feeling," said Leila. "We celebrate it. We drink! And we have parties in our houses. We call each other and congratulate each other. We cry a lot. We think about the evil [that has] ruined our lives. He's gone. It's a very, very strange feeling."

Omid, a 26-year-old Iranian university student, painted a different picture of life in Iran after the death of the supreme leader.

“The most remarkable thing in my opinion is that the assassination of the ayatollah was the wrong decision,” Omid, whose name has also been concealed for his safety, told ABC News.

"Bombing a country will not bring democracy to it. Bombing our country resulted in strengthening the power of the Islamic Regime and what I see is not a ground for democracy, but they are making the scene worse and worse by these attacks," he said.

Leila also said that Revolutionary Guard forces are out of their bases and are gathering at mosques and schools. “They have shut down the police stations and policemen are staying beside the streets. It's very scary because they all have guns, and they are very furious now because they have lost the supreme leader,” she said.

When asked about the protest movement, Leila said, "We are extremely united."

"If the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) goes down, we are all united about the principles that Mr. Pahlavi has established and we will take control," she said, referring to the exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the U.S.-based son of Iran’s overthrown shah, who has said that he would like to go back to Iran.

He has pitched himself as an interim leader for the country until the country is ready to hold democratic elections.

In recent protests, a portion of Iran’s activist population, including Leila, has been chanting Pahlavi’s name in the streets, in hopes that he could come in as a new leader.

Not everyone supports a Pahlavi return, however. "What I see is that Pahlavi has no chance of taking back the government," Omid said. "People, specifically the huge supporters of the regime, are not allowing Pahlavi to take control of the country."

The most recent poll from GAMAAN, an independent, non-profit research foundation based in Europe, found that in 2024, the exiled crown prince had a favorability rate of about 30% of the population, but polling from inside Iran is very difficult and not always reliable.

Ali, a 39-year-old man living in Tehran, spoke to ABC News about what life has been like for him in the past week. "Life these days is both full of excitement and joy, and at the same time extremely difficult and anxiety-inducing," he said.

Ali's identity has also been concealed by ABC News for his own safety.

"Every sound that comes is automatically perceived as a potential danger. That alone brings a huge amount of stress. There is no way to receive reliable news. The internet is completely cut off, and no one watches Iranian television," he said.

This lack of information is exhausting," Ali added. "After every explosion, people usually call each other to share what they have seen and to check on one another."

Ali said that when he goes outside for shopping or other essential errands, he sees "hope on everyone’s faces."

"In wartime, their hope is for salvation. People keep telling each other that these are the final days -- that we just need to endure," Ali said.