Arzu Rezvani

Arizu Razvani, NPR News, Erbil, in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

30-something-year-old V, who lives in Tehran and gives only his first initial for fear of retribution, was settling into work when the attack started.

Across the city, one 22-year-old college student who requested complete anonymity woke up to the sound of explosions.

It's a day, she says, she has long hoped for.

I am ready to be killed by a bomb if it means the certain death of even a few of our regime officials, she says.

Children have been sent home from schools and offices across the country are now closed as people in Iran wait to see what comes next.

Arizu Razvani, NPR News.