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Refugee in my own city: Surviving Tehran’s bombing, with my cat for company

Al Jazeera · 🇶🇦 public Qatar · · 1294 words · By Ariya Farhmand
Impact of urban warfare Civilian suffering in war Psychological Resilience
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What to know about Impact of urban warfare

Refugee in my own city: Surviving Tehran’s bombing, with my cat for company Amid relentless bombings, Sana refuses to flee Tehran, clinging to resilience and fleeting moments of normalcy.

Claims checked 9
Techniques found 3
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center67%
Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Refugee in my own city: Surviving Tehran’s bombing, with my cat for company Amid relentless bombings, Sana refuses to flee Tehran, clinging to resilience and fleeting moments of normalcy.

Why it matters

Sana* is a 27-year-old woman living with her roommate, Fatemeh, in a two-bedroom apartment in western Tehran.

Common ground

The economics master’s student and risk control analyst at an investment firm had already survived the June 2025 Israel-Iran war.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Pity, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/4/13/refugee-in-my-own-city-surviving-te…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Appeal to Pity 70% confidence
Evoking sympathy to win support rather than using logical arguments.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to pity helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Exaggeration / Hyperbole 60% confidence
Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified By Reference 4
check_circle Corroborated 2
info Single Source 2
help Insufficient Evidence 1
verified
Claim 1: “Sana... had already survived the June 2025 Israel-Iran war.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Multiple Wikipedia entries and web search results explicitly confirm the 'Twelve-Day War' between Iran and Israel occurred from June 13 to 24, 2025.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Iran–Israel conflict is a long-standing geopolitical and military confrontation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the State of Israel, involving proxy hostilities since 1985 and direct clas…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran–Israel_conflict
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Iran and Israel have not maintained a formal diplomatic relationship with each other since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Beginning in the mid-1980s, the Iran–Israel proxy conflict has grown to large…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran–Israel_relations
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Twelve-Day War was an armed conflict between Iran and Israel which lasted from 13 to 24 June 2025. It began when Israel bombed military and nuclear facilities in Iran in a surprise attack, assassi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve-Day_War
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 2: “for most people, it was a total blackout – we couldn’t even load Google.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (Wikipedia and news reports) confirm a widespread internet blackout in Iran during the 2026 conflict, with people attempting to cross borders to get online.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Internet blackout, which initially did not affect satellite internet connections like Starlink, has increased efforts to shut down the Starlink internet, alongside operations to seize satellite di…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Internet_blackout_in_Iran
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Iranians have had limited internet access during the war, with the government now looking at tiered services.Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani lashed out at reporters during a news co…
https://www.aljazeera.com/editorial/2026/5/14/iran-expands-t…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Iranians living near the border with Iraq's Kurdistan region are crossing into neighbouring territory or gathering at the frontier just to get online, as the Tehran regime's months-long internet black…
https://www.euronews.com/2026/05/08/exclusive-iranians-risk-…
verified
Claim 3: “The 12-day war last June”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and Britannica explicitly state the Twelve-Day War lasted from June 13 to 24, 2025, totaling 12 days.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On June 22, 2025, the United States Air Force and Navy attacked three nuclear facilities in Iran as part of the Twelve-Day War, under the code name Operation Midnight Hammer. The Fordow Uranium Enrich…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_United_States_strikes_on_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of airstrikes and bombardments during the Twelve-Day War. The war began on 13 June 2025, when Israel attacked targets at more than a dozen locations across Iran. Under the codename Oper…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_attacks_during_the_Twe…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Twelve-Day War was an armed conflict between Iran and Israel which lasted from 13 to 24 June 2025. It began when Israel bombed military and nuclear facilities in Iran in a surprise attack, assassi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve-Day_War
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 4: “US President Donald Trump threatened to strike Iran’s energy infrastructure and destroy our “whole civilisation”.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to corroborate this specific quote or threat by Donald Trump regarding the destruction of 'whole civilisation'.
info
Claim 5: “It was 9:40am on February 28 when the first missiles hit Tehran.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While multiple sources confirm a war began on February 28, 2026, and that Tehran was targeted, none of the provided evidence specifies the exact time of 9:40am for the first missile strikes.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The ballistic missile program of Iran is the largest in the Middle East and plays a key role in Iran's military and defense strategy, pursuit of regional power projection, and other geopolitical goals…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballistic_missile_program_of_I…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Hoveyzeh (Persian: موشک کروز هویزه) is an Iranian designed and built, all-weather, surface-to-surface cruise missile. The Hoveyzeh is from the Soumar family of cruise missiles. The missile was unv…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoveyzeh_(cruise_missile)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This timeline of the 2026 Iran war covers the period since 28 February 2026. The war is ongoing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_2026_Iran_war
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 6: “When the latest war began in late February”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and Al Jazeera both confirm that a new war involving the US, Israel, and Iran began on February 28, 2026.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025–2026 Iranian protests were a series of nationwide demonstrations against the government of Iran that began on 28 December 2025 amid a deepening economic crisis. The unrest followed a sharp de…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025–2026_Iranian_protests
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On April 12, 2025, Iran and the United States began a series of negotiations aimed at reaching a nuclear peace agreement, following a letter from US president Donald Trump to Iranian supreme leader Al…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025–2026_Iran–United_States_n…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since the beginning of the 2025–26 Iranian protests, the Iranian government has perpetrated widespread massacres of civilians, deploying both its own security forces and importing foreign militias to …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Iran_massacres
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 7: “They were bombing near Mehrabad airport”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided search results for 'bombing near Mehrabad airport' returned unrelated results (Oklahoma City, Kabul, Lebanon) and did not provide evidence for strikes at Mehrabad airport during this specific conflict.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — It also passed legislation to increase the protection around federal buildings to deter future terrorist attacks. The bombing remains the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history and was th…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_city_bombing
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Apr 9, 2026 · In a statement released during Israel's April 8 bombing campaign, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said he "unequivocally condemns" the Israeli strikes on Lebanon, and i…
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2026/04/09/israel-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jury is deliberating in trial of alleged IS militant charged in deadly Kabul airport bombing April 28
https://apnews.com/hub/bombings
verified
Claim 8: “Sari, 250 kilometres (155 miles) north in Mazandaran province”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and travel guides confirm Sari is the capital of Mazandaran province in northern Iran. While the exact distance of 250km is not explicitly stated in the snippets, the geographical relationship (Sari in Mazandaran, north of Tehran) is verified.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Amol (Persian: آمل [ɒˈmol]; ) is a city in the Central District of Amol County, Mazandaran province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Amol is located on the Haraz River ba…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amol
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it is situated in both Europe and …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspian_Sea
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mazandaran province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Sari. Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain range and Hyrca…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazandaran_province
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 9: “One day, an oil depot was struck.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results, including a personal account and a TikTok summary of conflict mapping, mention that oil depots in Tehran were targeted/bombed.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — I remember that before I went to sleep, Trump’s toys had bombed Tehran’s oil depots. My father calls American military equipment Trump’s toys. I like his fantasy and the way he describes Trump’s menta…
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/l…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group, which was sent toward the Middle East, joining the USS Carl Vinson already stationed nearby. B-52 bombers and fighter aircraft spotted via satellite image…
https://www.reuters.com/graphics/IRAN-NUCLEAR/ISRAEL/dwvklgr…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Keywords: Tehran oil depot airstrike, Iran United States conflict, oil infrastructure damage, airstrikes in Tehran, fire in Tehran oil depot, Iran Israel war impact, oil spill Tehran, major attacks on…
https://www.tiktok.com/@iltv_israel/video/761483086490372021…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.