Iran war: Doubts creep in for Iranians who had supported war

"We thought they'd kill all the senior figures and the regime would collapse in days, but we are in the second week now and every night I wake to explosions," a Tehran resident told the BBC. She initially supported the war, but her frustration is growing. For some Iranians who oppose their country's leadership, the war they initially hoped might accelerate political change is now forcing a painful reassessment, and they are beginning to question whether the cost of the conflict could ultimately outweigh any political outcome. Others, however, still argue that outside military pressure may be the only realistic way to weaken the system. Many Israeli and American officials have framed the campaign largely as an effort to degrade Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities and threats. But some, including US President Donald Trump, have also hinted that the ultimate objective could be regime change. For some critics of Iran's clerical establishment, that suggestion initially raised hopes that external pressure might significantly accelerate that change. Yet conversations with some Iranians inside the country suggest the picture is now far more complicated. It has become increasingly diffi