The BBC has obtained footage and interviews from the Iranian capital Tehran which evoke a city of strained nerves, of constant waiting for the next air strike and relentless fear of the state security apparatus.
Within Iran, state television broadcasts footage of demonstrations and funerals, as well as interviews with pro-regime officials and protestors that repeat denunciations of America and Israel.
While independent journalists still try to gather testimony that offers a credible alternative view, they run the risk of arrest, torture and possibly worse.
Special correspondent Fergal Keane reports.
