Iranian man barely survives bombing, but wants war to go on

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World Iranian man barely survives bombing, but wants war to go on May 16, 20265:06 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered By Durrie Bouscaren Iranian man barely survives bombing, but wants war to go on Listen &middot; 5:10 5:10 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5820984/nx-s1-9773357" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript An Iranian man who was buried under rubble in US Israel bombing campaign says he wants the war to go on, and destroy the regime. Sponsor Message EMILY FENG, HOST: The U.S. and Iran are still deadlocked over peace talks to negotiate an end to the conflict. While both sides say they want to reach an agreement, some ordinary Iranians say they would like to see the war resume and the regime swept away, despite the considerable risks that carries for their own safety. Durrie Bouscaren spoke with one of them to understand why this sentiment has endured. (SOUNDBITE OF LIGHTER CLICKING) DURRIE BOUSCAREN, BYLINE: Amirreza (ph) lights a cigarette before he records a voice message. It's like he's gathering his thoughts. AMIRREZA: (Non-English language spoken). BOUSCAREN: He's 28 years old, lives in Tehran, works in advertising, although there's not much work to be had these days. He asked NPR not to share his full name because people who speak to foreign media in Iran right now are being imprisoned. AMIRREZA: (Speaking Persian). BOUSCAREN: In March, as the U.S. and Israel bombed Tehran, Amirreza and some friends decided to get together. His friend's uncle is a guard at a factory on the edge of town. The compound had a garden and a pool, and it seemed like a chance to let off some steam, get out of the house. AMIRREZA: (Through interpreter) We hadn't seen each other for a long time and had been through a lot recently, so we decided to gather there. BOUSCAREN: They brought arak (ph) - an anise-flavored liquor - chicken for the barbecue, and for a moment, life felt almost normal. AMIRREZA: (Speaking Persian). BOUSCAREN: Amirreza says the three of them were in the kitchen when he looked out the window and saw a flash of light. AMIRREZA: (Through interpreter) For less than a second, I saw an orange light and black smoke coming towards us. I realized it was a missile. BOUSCAREN: He tried to scream. He tried to yell at his friends, warn them to take cover, but it happened too fast. AMIRREZA: (Through interpreter) I could not get the words out. There was a terrifying explosion and the sound of the whole house collapsing. BOUSCAREN: And then he couldn't hear anything at all. After a few minutes, Amirreza realized he was underneath the rubble of the kitchen. AMIRREZA: (Speaking Persian). BOUSCAREN: The weight of the concrete on top of him made it impossible to stand and hard to breathe. His left arm was cut and bleeding from shards of glass. His leg was bent and twisted beneath him. Slowly, he tried to move his fingers. AMIRREZA: (Speaking Persian). BOUSCAREN: He called out to his friends. One of them was next to him, buried in the rubble up to her waist. He reached out and held her hand. AMIRREZA: (Through interpreter) There was dark. But my friend's Apple Watch turned on, and we could see each other's face. BOUSCAREN: Somehow, a filing cabinet had fallen in a way that protected their heads from being crushed. AMIRREZA: (Through interpreter) Everyone was so desperate. They sounded so terrified. BOUSCAREN: In the distance, Amirreza could hear missiles hitting other parts of Tehran, the sirens of the fire trucks rushing to other blast sites. AMIRREZA: (Through interpreter) At this point, I kept fainting and coming back. My friends told me later that when they called my name, I just made noises or do nothing. My eyesight went blurry. BOUSCAREN: Eventually, a rescuer named Meisam reached them with a claw machine that reminded Amirreza of Dr. Octopus from the Marvel Comics. AMIRREZA: (Through interpreter) That moment when the burden was lifted slightly, very slightly, and, oh, my God, I could breathe. BOUSCAREN: Amirreza felt something soft under his belly, like a pillow. He told Meisam. AMIRREZA: (Through interpreter) He tapped it and said, you mean this? I said, yes. And he said, this is your leg. I had completely forgotten about my leg. BOUSCAREN: Finally, he was free. AMIRREZA: (Through interpreter) The rescuer said it was a miracle that we were alive. BOUSCAREN: These days, Amirreza keeps a low profile. His stitches have healed, but sudden noises, like a car backfiring in the street, scare him. AMIRREZA: (Through interpreter) We all need therapy after this. BOUSCAREN: Despite this ordeal, Amirreza says he doesn't want the U.S. and Iran to come to a peace deal. He's so angry at Iran's clerical government that he wants a foreign intervention to continue until it's overthrown. AMIRREZA: (Through interpreter) The Islamic Republic has not compromised even a single step of its ideology for the sake of its people. BOUSCAREN: The failing economy, the control over personal freedoms - Amirreza says the pain of being buried in the rubble reminded him of the torture he endured as a student when he was detained for two days during protests in 2022. AMIRREZA: (Through interpreter) I remember that pain. I thought of that pain under the rubble, and I thought, I went through that pain because of Islamic Republic, and now I'm under the rubble again because of Islamic Republic. BOUSCAREN: The people of Iran do not want this war, he says, and they don't want this government either. AMIRREZA: (Through interpreter) I don't want a ceasefire without the destruction of the Islamic Republic. BOUSCAREN: Like many critics of Iran's government, Amirreza says that a peace deal will give the regime an opening to crack down harder on its internal enemies - protesters, dissidents, people like him. AMIRREZA: (Through interpreter) Don't do this to the people of Iran. We don't want to get killed in the streets again. We don't want executions. We don't want our youth to get arrested all the time. BOUSCAREN: But every day, that possibility seems to get closer and closer. For NPR News, I'm Durrie Bouscaren in Istanbul. Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.