SUNN Post Exclusive
This June brought a new wave of violence to the ongoing feud between Iran, Israel and allied countries. Israel and the United States initiated joint strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities on June 13, with the United States’ major attack on three of Iran’s key nuclear sites following on June 22. The recent conflict arose due to concerns of Iran possessing or enriching uranium and developing nuclear weapons. Although that was the catalyst for the violence, the ultimate goal for both Israel and Iran may have less to do with nuclear weaponry and more to do with political posturing, according to some analysts and the pubic. Iran’s response only added to the confusion, with their leaders reportedly notifying the U.S. ahead of its small retaliatory attack on a U.S. base in Qatar.
Although President Trump has said the Iranian nuclear program is now destroyed, official assessments have been less conclusive, leaving public opinion divided. The United Nations assessed that the program may be running at full capacity again within months, and Pentagon officials, who changed their public assessment several times, now report that Iran may be able to rebuild within one to two years.
Under the ceasefire agreement signed on June 24th, the vast majority of Iranians aren’t satisfied with their living conditions or the outcome and continue to voice opposition to leaders in their own country and abroad — despite Iran’s public internet access being restricted or even cut off by the Iranian government, Iranians in the country still find ways to use social media to express their views on the situation and showcase what the public may be missing.
Iran is a country with diverse political and social views that can vary heavily from region to region and city to city. This ideological divide traces back to the Islamic Revolution in 1978, when the religious figure Ruhollah Khomeini overthrew the more progressive Mohammad Reza Shah and became the “Supreme Leader” — a government position in Iran with unchecked political and religious authority. Middle-class and wealthier Iranians largely mourned the regime change, having favored the rule of the Pahlavi dynasty before the Revolution, while the more impoverished northern parts of Iran generally supported the religious uprising. The divide over whether Iran should remain a theocracy has dictated the responses of Iranians and international viewers throughout the 2025 conflict, including many Iranians who currently live abroad.
Following the initial attack, Iranian news network “ManoTo” — translating to “You and I” — posted a series of clips on Facebook from leaders of both Israel and the United States. On a post of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praising the U.S. strikes on Iran, the comment section exploded with contrasting views. Hamid Danaei, an Iranian originally from Tehran currently living in Switzerland, addressed Netanyahu in his comment: “You are a Superman, and you’re gonna be in my heart forever. I realized why Cyrus the Great 2500 years ago saved the Jews — because he knew one day the next generation would do the same for Iranians.”
While many assume that Iranians and Israelis have historically had an exclusively antagonistic relationship, that is not the case. Before the Islamic revolution, 80,000 Jews lived in Iran, many of whom fled the country only after the religious uprising. Today, Iran holds the second-largest Jewish population in the Middle East after Israel, at 15,000. Danaei’s comment references the former King of Iran, Cyrus the Great, who famously saved the Jewish people from a forcible migration to Babylon — an area largely occupied now as present-day Iraq — allowing them instead to return to Jerusalem. The Torah, Netanyahu and Iranians have all cited this historical event as a reason for allyship.
The continued notion that Iran must be freed from the Islamic theocracy is a view held by many Iranians, with over 80% of those living in Iran and up to 99% of Iranians abroad supporting a change in governance. After the U.S. attack, some even called for follow-up action from Iranians against their own government. In a comment on the same post from ManoTo, Iranian Ar Sha wrote about Netanyahu and the U.S., telling Iranians that “they will not bring you the change of regime. If you want a change of regime, you must revolt yourself.”
While asking for political change directly is one way Iranians use social media, others protest quietly by showcasing the realities of daily life in the country. A social media user named Maya posts regular TikTok videos about her life in Iran to an audience of over 33,000 followers. A recent video of hers shows various clips of her family, scenery, and daily living, and is captioned, “My beautiful, beautiful Iran will be free someday… God, how is it possible to love a country that much even if you feel like a hostage every single day?”
A user named Jude who uses a VPN to access social media posted a TikTok video captioned “What are people wearing in Tehran?” that shows various women, none of whom are wearing hijabs, enjoying life fashionably. The video received over 2.8 million views and prompted thousands of comments debating whether not wearing a hijab is a form of subtle protest in Iran or just an option for daily living. Jude said she lost internet access for a few days soon after the post went live.
An Iranian living in America, Melina, posted a similar TikTok video titled “This is life in Iran, btw,” showcasing her family leading full lives in their homeland, which received over 1.1 million likes and 6.5 million views.
Posts like theirs meet a need for a look inside daily life in Iran — a need exacerbated by the country’s restricted internet access, especially since the conflict began. Beginning June 17, NetBlocks, a company that tracks global internet activity, reported a near-total internet blackout in Iran. The cutoff of access to international news, options to post opinions online, and even basic communication networks to contact family lasted over four days, and it remains unclear if and when Iran will restore full access to their people.
In a video message to The SUNN Post sent through a VPN, an Iranian man living in Tehran who asked to remain anonymous shared a video of Iranian drones and bright Israeli missiles intersecting each other in the city sky of Tehran.
He “hopes for a better and more peaceful world in the future,” he said, and added humor to the situation. “Don’t worry, that sound doesn’t scare me — I’ve played way too much Call of Duty, so it’s not that terrifying to me.”
Kian, a 21-year-old Iranian living in the country, discussed in a message both his living conditions and his doubts about another revolution overthrowing Khamenei. The legacy of past regimes seemed, to him, performative.
“Even if our regime changes, it won’t be with Reza Pahlavi,” he said. “He is just sitting on his computer tweeting.”
Reza Pahlavi is the son of the former Shah of Iran, who at 17 left Iran after the Revolution in 1978 and has yet to return. He frequently posts advocating for a secular democratic Iran, which has led to speculation that he could return to carry on his father’s legacy of leadership.
“My death and fate are in the hands of God,” Kian said. “Right now, I’m in a place without resources (like a village, but not a village), and, well, I’ve run out of money, so I’m just sitting behind my computer.”
Kian is not alone in turning to faith instead of leaders during the conflict — but many use it to incite hate as well. On the same Facebook post of Netanyahu by ManoTo, a user named Noorallah commented, “God will take care of you one day,” targeting the Prime Minister. Another user named Mohammad Uness wrote, “One day, Islam will take over the world.” Dozens more Iranian users commented wishing death and punishment from God onto the Prime Minister, repulsed by his assumption that Iranians don’t want an Islamic leader.
Amirreza, a 22-year-old Iranian living in Kermanshah, was glad to see the conflict against Israel and the U.S. escalate, he said.
“My country has decided to wipe Israel off the map,” he said, “Cute!” He cited a propaganda video showing various clips of the U.S. embracing LGBTQIA+ rights, women dressing freely in the streets and historical clips of the Holocaust.
Other Iranians wish the government weren’t oppressive, but are content enough with their lifestyle that they do not find protesting and risking their life worth it, they said.
“Here Islam is the default… Of course I wish the government was different, but I love my life,” wrote one 16-year-old living in Tehran who asked to remain anonymous. “You don’t have a choice, and anything else, there will be consequences.”kian