TEHRAN — While international attention has largely focused on the aerial bombardments and regional fallout, another battle is playing out on the streets of Tehran and in Iran's major cities, where the regime is working to assert control amid chaos.

In the capital, Basij and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) units, whose command centers have been largely destroyed, are systematically establishing checkpoints and conducting vehicle searches across urban centers, creating a pervasive sense of omnipresence.

In the daytime, even with small parades of vehicles, Basij militia are setting up roadblocks to assert control, while at night, loudspeakers broadcast religious chants and "victory" songs through neighborhoods, reinforcing both morale among loyalists and the perception of widespread government oversight. Sports fields and schools have also been repurposed as makeshift command posts, blending security infrastructure with civilian spaces.

The clampdown extends beyond physical enforcement. State television has amplified warnings from IRGC commanders, who told families that security forces have orders to shoot if citizens align with Israel or the United States and ignore official messaging — a directive officials describe as more serious than ever before.