'My whole life is in Tehran,' resident says after Trump’s evacuation warning

 'My whole life is in Tehran,' resident says after Trump’s evacuation warning

Sorrow, fear, anger - commonly shared feelings among the people in Tehran I spoke to today after Trump’s evacuation warning.

I hear traffic is still jammed on routes leading out of the capital. Some people left early this morning after waking up and seeing the evacuation news. Some left yesterday. Some the day before.

“The city seemed empty before I left today, but I know many people are still at home in Tehran with nowhere to go," one person tells me.

Although I know some are offering their houses outside Tehran to others and giving lifts to those without cars, leaving isn’t an option for everyone.

A friend who decided to stay with their family tells me: “Grandpa is 90 and has kidney failure, and grandma recently had knee surgery. They can’t travel long hours on the road." The whole family is staying in case the elderly need help.

Access to medication, hospitals, and clinics is much more difficult once you leave Tehran for remote areas, so it’s not an option for everyone to evacuate.

“Most of my neighbours are gone, but I’ve stayed. Where can I go? My whole life is here in Tehran,” a friend who chose to remain tells me.

“If the Islamic Republic cared about people's lives even a bit, it would’ve made some effort to evacuate the city after all these warnings, not just left poor people trying to escape with thousand struggles,” said another.

Iranian officials have not issued any evacuation order for the capital, calling the warnings “enemy psychological warfare".

I noticed that some pro-establishment users online have echoed the same message, saying “Tehran is safe” - even as the city continues to be attacked by Israel daily.