A black banner on the border crossing between Turkey and Iran on 4/4 displayed a vow for revenge against the US and Israel. It hung alongside a portrait of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in a US-Israel strike on 28/2.

Reporters from the US news agency Associated Press (AP) entered Iran from Turkey. On their 12-hour drive south to the capital, Tehran, they observed daily life continuing in a nation at the center of a regional war shaking the global economy.

People walk towards the border with Turkey at the Razi crossing in Razi, Iran, on 4/4. Photo: AP

The first major sign of war destruction appeared in the northwestern city of Zanjan, about six hours' drive from the border. Iranian officials reported an airstrike hit a religious community center, known as a husseiniyah, killing two people and destroying a clinic and a library. Other structures within the complex, including centuries-old gilded domes, sustained damage.

When questioned about the Zanjan attack, the Israeli military stated it struck "a military headquarters" and affirmed it avoided harming civilian facilities, without further explanation.

"This loss breaks my heart," said Somayeh Shojaei, a local resident who regularly attended religious and cultural events at the center.

According to Jaafar Mohammadi, the province's director of culture and Islamic guidance, the attack killed the library caretaker and a volunteer from the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

Previously, poor residents received free treatment at the society's clinic, and students frequented the library, which housed over 35,000 books, including many ancient manuscripts. Mohammadi did not know why the complex was targeted.

"Iran wanted to negotiate peace with US President Donald Trump, but he responded with war," Mohammadi stated. "He started the war, but we will certainly win."

A destroyed building inside the Grand Hosseiniyeh complex in Zanjan, Iran, on 4/4. Behind it is the Islamic shrine hit in a late March strike. Photo: AP

US reporters described normal traffic in cities along the route to Tehran on 4/4. Markets and shops were open, and people walked the streets. A restaurant served Iranian specialties like grilled lamb, rice, barley soup, and saffron flower drinks while the American band R.E.M.'s song "Losing my religion" played over the loudspeakers.

Many women were out without headscarves. The reporting team passed two checkpoints on the way into Tehran and were not stopped. The Iranian capital was eerily quiet after midnight. The previous night, the city endured a heavy barrage targeting the mountains on its outskirts.

The US and Israel have conducted thousands of airstrikes on Iran, with Tehran bearing the brunt of the damage. Iranian authorities reported over 1,900 fatalities, though it remains unclear how many were soldiers and how many were civilians.

A truck laden with wood and other vehicles travel along the road towards Tehran, near the Turkish border on the outskirts of Razi, northwestern Iran, on 4/4. Photo: AP

Many government buildings and police stations were destroyed. The reporting team passed several checkpoints. They were stopped once, asked to open their car doors, and show their press cards before being allowed to proceed.

Fuel is heavily subsidized, with one liter of gasoline costing about 0.0375 USD. However, citizens are only permitted to purchase about 20 liters at a time. No one was queuing for gas.

On 4/4, the US President gave Iran 48 hours to agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, or face the destruction of its civilian infrastructure, including bridges and power plants. Trump later extended the deadline to before 8 PM on 7/4 (7 AM on 8/4 Hanoi time). With 12 hours remaining until the deadline, he warned that "Iranian civilization will perish" if Tehran did not meet the demands, but also left open the possibility of a last-minute agreement.

Meanwhile, Iran warned that if Washington crossed a "red line," it would unleash retaliation beyond the Middle East, simultaneously depriving the US and its allies of the region's oil and gas supplies.

Lili, who works in the arts in the capital, stated that she and her family had no plans to leave Tehran. "There's no truly safe place to take refuge: when infrastructure is targeted, almost every corner can be hit," she said.