A man living in Tehran who participated in the January anti-government protests spoke to CBS News by phone under the condition of anonymity, citing fears for his safety, saying that he believes Iranās future must be decided by Iranians themselves, not by outside forces.
āDemocracy has to come from the people,ā he said. āItās an internal issue.ā
The man says he strongly opposes Iranās leadership, blaming the regime for āruiningā the lives of many young Iranians, including himself. But as bombs fall and missiles strike across the country, he fears foreign intervention and war could leave Iran in chaos rather than bring freedom.
The conflict continues to spread with new U.S. and Israeli strikes hitting Tehran and Israel also attacking Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iranian drones hit neighboring Azerbaijan for the first time, as U.S. allies in the Gulf face relentless missile and drone attacks from Iran ā and officials warn some are rapidly running low on the interceptors needed to shoot them down.