Iran: The Latest – Inside Iran: Why Some Celebrate Trump Bombing Their Country

Podcast: The Telegraph
Episode Date: March 11, 2026
Hosts: Venetia Rainey, Arthur Scott-Geddes
Guests: Sahar Zand (Iranian-British investigative journalist), Paul Newki (Global Health Security Editor, from Beirut)

Episode Overview

This gripping episode examines the unprecedented reactions among ordinary Iranians as US and Israeli airstrikes devastate their country—particularly the phenomenon of civilians celebrating attacks on their own soil. The hosts and guests explore changing public sentiment inside Iran, the regime’s ability to suppress dissent and control narratives, and the wider escalation of conflict across Lebanon and the Middle East. Firsthand testimonies, expert analysis, and emotional accountings make this episode essential listening for understanding rapidly shifting geopolitical and human realities.

Key Points & Insights

1. Changing Iranian Attitudes Toward Airstrikes

• Civilian Reactions: Unlike most warzones, many Iranians are not mourning the bombings—instead, they are celebrating, seeing the attacks as targeted at the hated regime rather than themselves.
  • Sahar Zand: “Iranian people do not feel that this attack is against them. They believe that this attack is against their common enemy. And by common enemy, I mean the regime that has been killing them in their thousands...” (04:26)
• Perceived Precision: Many rely on the apparent precision of strikes (targeting regime assets), lessening anxiety about the bombings.
  • Sahar Zand: “We've seen how precise these attacks have been. And like many other Iranians... I'm not as worried as I should be.” (04:26)

2. Regime Weakness and Society’s Breaking Point

• Regime at Its Weakest: After years of severe sanctions, a crippling previous war (2025), and nationwide protests since Mahsa Amini’s killing, the regime appears deeply weakened and morally depleted.
  • Sahar Zand: “...massively weakened Iran and Iran's military capabilities. In the meantime, the sanctions have massively crippled Iran's economy. And nationwide protests... have also weakened them morally.” (06:33)
• The Crackdown: The state responds with violence—arrests, executions, and show trials—fuelling, not diminishing, hatred and resistance among the population.
  • Sahar Zand: “Anyone who ever opposed the regime, like, forget oppose the regime, dare to say anything that's not favorable, ended up in prisons, ended up tortured... had to come on TV and admit to a crime they haven't committed...” (09:33)

3. Propaganda, Information Blackouts, and Diaspora Dilemmas

• No Independent Media: Regime-controlled media frame the war as a nationalist struggle; internet blackouts stifle alternative reporting.
  • “They try to turn everything in their own favor... media press in Iran is not fair and free. It's massively censored.” (07:37)
• Diaspora vs. Domestic Perspectives: Diaspora Iranians, able to criticize freely, may not represent the spectrum of opinion inside Iran, but journalist sources point to mass anger and participation in protests as evidence of widespread opposition.
  • Venetia Rainey notes, “Iran is a country of 90 million... even if 10% felt completely the opposite and supported the regime... that's still 9 million people.” (14:04)
  • Sahar Zand: “Iran is hiding so much, and that only tells us they have so much to hide.” (15:10)

4. Voices from Inside Iran

• Testimonies: Zand shares raw statements from Iranians, capturing the depth of anger and pain:
  • Mother from North of Iran: “This is not a war. The real war was during the two days in January when they killed more than 50,000 of us. That was our war.” (17:17)
  • Anonymous: “Let them hit our infrastructures with missiles. Let them hit our roads and our houses. We'll make buildings again... It's our children who the regime killed that we can never get back. We have nothing left to lose but the chains around our wrists.” (17:17)
• Youth Sentiment: Even critics of Trump say the attacks are a “rescue mission,” not an act of aggression. Social media shows young women supporting US actions, despite deep reservations about Trump and US/Israeli intentions.
  • Sahar Zand: “A girl in Iran... said, but I am supporting him right now. When he attacked Iran, she was one of the many people who were chanting Uncle Trump as in a word of endearment...” (20:14)

5. Regime Change, Hope, and Desperation

• Reza Pahlavi as a Focal Point: Once a divisive exile, the former crown prince has gained reluctant support as a possible transitional leader—a sign of the population’s desperation and lack of alternatives.
  • Sahar Zand: “Even those that are not monarchists... are now supporting him. The majority have accepted that, at least temporarily, he could be a good option... Iranians have given up on looking for the best case scenario. They are stuck in a cocktail of bad choices.” (22:54)

6. The Future: Vision and Uncertainty

• Desire for Basic Rights: Zand, reflecting both as a journalist and an Iranian, underscores that Iranians want what those in the free world take for granted—basic freedoms, safety, and prosperity.
  • Sahar Zand: “They deserve the same rights, the same very basic freedoms that we do. They want a secular, democratic country. Iran is an oil rich country... They want to be able to enjoy those resources.” (24:30)

7. Lebanon: The Second Theater (28:16)

Field Report from Paul Newki, Beirut

Situation on the Ground:

• Heavy Airstrikes: Israeli jets and drones pound southern Beirut (Hezbollah stronghold), with spillover into more central city areas—causing extensive physical and emotional damage amid densely populated districts.
  • Paul Newki: “The Israelis have been mainly hitting the southern suburbs... most people have evacuated... the damage is very evident, strewn all over the road, broken buildings...” (29:41)
• Rising Civilian Toll: Latest figures from WHO—1,524 casualties in 12 days (394 deaths, 1,130 wounded), with many women, children, and immigrants caught in the crossfire.
  • “Unlike the most recent conflict here, there's a larger proportion of children... and a larger proportion of immigrants, particularly Syrians being hurt.” (29:41)

Displacement and Humanitarian Crisis:

• Enormous Displacement: Over a million people have fled their homes (official and unofficial estimates).
  • “It's pretty visible. So all over Beirut, people camped out under bridges along the waterfront...” (34:08)
• Health Impact: Hospitals are coping—so far—but displacement, cold, and poverty increase risks of secondary health crises (respiratory illnesses, diarrhea among children).
  • “There's a spike... in respiratory illness, there's a spike... in diarrhea illness amongst children. And that can only get worse the longer this conflict carries on.” (35:23)
• International Response: France boosting humanitarian aid; UK and other support uncertain; Lebanese government services stretched thin.

Hezbollah’s Role and Israel’s Aims:

• Hezbollah as Embedded Power: Hezbollah isn’t just a militia; it’s a social movement, political party, and dominant actor among Lebanon’s Shia—hence hard to “disarm.”
  • Paul Newki: “Hezbollah is a social organization in the same way that Hamas is... deep roots in the communities... unfortunate, by virtue of its firepower, the Lebanese state does not... [have] the firepower to bring it under control.” (39:06)
• Israel’s Stated Objective: Israeli leaders frame campaign as an attempt to “finish off Hezbollah,” but capacity and public resolve suggest otherwise.
  • “Israel seems to have decided that now is the moment to... finish off Hezbollah once and for all... But the Israeli call for the Lebanese government to... disarm Hezbollah is a paper tiger.” (36:51, 37:20)

Daily Life Amidst Conflict:

• Vibrancy Persists: Despite chaos, Beirutis try to live normally—cafes and bars are busy, suggesting resilience and hope.
  • “This is a super vibrant city... People are having fun, just as they are in Tel Aviv... Once it's over, it'll bounce back in no time.” (42:16)

8. Wider Conflict and Strategic Implications

• Iran’s ‘Horizontal Warfare’: Iran aims to widen the battlefield and exhaust US/Israeli will—echoing North Vietnamese strategy in the Vietnam War.

  • Paul Newki: “It's the same strategy that the North Vietnamese adopted during the Vietnam War... It’s extending the battle right across the Gulf states. It’s extended it to Lebanon... the political stakes for America are ratcheting up no end.” (43:51)

• Regional Destabilization: Oil, fertilizer, and commodity shortages affecting the global economy; allied Gulf states rethinking US presence.

  • “Oil prices rising, other commodities are being blocked... Gulf states are now wondering, well, is it such a good idea to have American bases here if they mean we’re going to be attacked?” (43:51)

• No Diplomatic Solution in Sight: Little optimism for a quick resolution, with conflicts in multiple theaters threatening to drag on and widen.

  • “Most people here feel that the conflict is going to escalate considerably before it gets better.” (35:23)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “Iranian people do not feel that this attack is against them. They believe that this attack is against their common enemy.” – Sahar Zand (01:20, 04:26)
• “Let them hit our infrastructures with missiles... It's our children who the regime killed that we can never get back. We have nothing left to lose but the chains around our wrists.” – Quoted by Sahar Zand (17:17)
• “Even those that are not monarchists... are now supporting [Reza Pahlavi]. The majority of people have accepted that, at least temporarily, he could be a good option.” – Sahar Zand (22:54)
• “Hezbollah is a social organization... has deep roots in the communities... That’s why it’s so embedded.” – Paul Newki (39:06)
• “Horizontal warfare... It’s extending the battle right across the Gulf states... and the political stakes for America are ratcheting up no end.” – Paul Newki (43:51)

Key Segment Timestamps

• Opening news briefs and context: (01:20 – 03:30)
• Sahar Zand on Iranian attitudes: (04:26 – 24:30)
• Testimonies from inside Iran: (17:17 – 20:14)
• Discussion of Reza Pahlavi and leadership vacuum: (22:54)
• Vision for a post-conflict Iran: (24:30)
• Paul Newki live from Beirut – Lebanon crisis analysis: (28:16 – 46:22)
  • Airstrikes and displacement: (29:41 – 35:11)
  • Hezbollah, Israeli war aims, daily life in Beirut: (36:41 – 42:16)
  • Region-wide conflict and “horizontal warfare”: (43:13 – 46:22)

Takeaways

• The war’s popular support among Iranians—unique in modern conflict—reflects decades of brutality at the hands of the regime rather than enthusiasm for foreign intervention.
• Iran’s protest movement, decades of repression, and growing diaspora activism set the stage for an uncertain transition—if the regime falls, Iranians may support interim solutions once unthinkable.
• Hezbollah remains deeply entrenched in Lebanon; Israel’s stated objective to destroy it seems implausible, and the regional conflict grows ever more entangled.
• The war’s ripple effects, driven by Iran’s horizontal warfare, risk destabilizing the entire Middle East and upending global markets.
• No settlement is in sight, and all sides brace for escalation.