Iranian livelihoods are being blown apart by US and Israeli bombs Submitted by MEE correspondent on Mon, 03/30/2026 - 14:12 Air strikes are devastating Tehran's small businesses, leaving civilians jobless and indebted Cafe staff inspect the destruction at the premises following a US-Israeli air strike on their building earlier in the day in Tehran on 29 March 2026 (Atta Kenare/AFP) Off As the US and Israel boast of the military success of their bombing campaign in Iran, ordinary Iranians describe a very different reality – one defined by profound losses. The war has wrought destruction, relentless fear, financial ruin and the sudden collapse of years of hard work. Ahmadreza, a shop owner in central Tehran, is one of them. The 40-year-old ran a small optical store until an air strike destroyed everything he had worked for.  "My entire life savings are gone," he told Middle East Eye. "Everything I had built over the years just disappeared in seconds." Ahmadreza estimates his losses at around 150 billion rials, roughly $100,000. "All the glasses I had imported burned," he said. "Now I am left with nothing but a pile of checks I have no idea how to pay." Ahmadreza said there were no military sites near his shop, leaving him struggling to understand why the area had been targeted. "No base, no police station, nothing," he said. "This was just a commercial area, a place where people came to buy glasses." His voice turned bitter. "They [the US and Israel] said they were bringing us freedom. Is this what freedom looks like?" The US‑Israeli bombing campaign has increasingly struck civilian infrastructure across Iran, leaving tens of thousands of non-military sites, such homes, schools and hospitals, damaged or completely destroyed. Everything was gone As the war enters its second month, many Iranians say the nature of the strikes has changed. While Israeli officials maintain that they are targeting military infrastructure, people on the gro