Tehran endured "nights of terror" and sustained bombardment. Significant infrastructure, including oil depots and the city's largest bridge, was destroyed. Casualties: Reports indicate over 3,500 total fatalities in Iran since the war began, including at least 1,606 civilians as of April 2, 2026. Leadership Crisis:
History and Memory Tehran’s streets are palimpsests of history: monuments and museums recall dynastic grandeur and revolution; plazas and memorials mark political turning points. Neighborhoods reflect waves of migration, modernization, and urban planning experiments. Older bazaars sit alongside new shopping centers; family homes hide generations of stories in narrow stairwells and patched courtyards.