Iran has been seeking to prove its unity and defiance to the world in the aftermath of the 38-days of heavy US-Israeli bombing it endured throughout the Trump-ordered Operation Epic Fury.
Along with fast seeking to rearm and recover its missile capability after the bombardment which heavily targeted above and below-ground missile silos, it is also rapidly rebuilding bombed-out parts of the capital city Tehran.
In what sounds like a surprising and perhaps high estimate, about 80% of war-damaged sites in Iran's capital have been repaired, the state Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) reports.
"More than 60,000 residential and commercial units in Tehran province were hit by American-Zionist attacks during the third imposed war," Deputy Governor of Tehran Seyyed Kamaleddin Mirjafarian was quoted in the report as saying.
The 80% claim might be met with a lot of scrutiny and doubt, given that many neighborhoods and buildings seemed to suffer damage so immense in scale, that it should take at least months if not years to rebuild.
But there has been some clear evidence that Iranian construction teams and engineers have worked around the clock to repair and replace vital infrastructure, like bridges for example.
The US and Israel had struck bridges and rail lines to cripple Iran's national transport network. Israel especially adopted attacks against key civilian infrastructure as a battle tactic, in hopes that eventually there would be a groundswell of anti-Tehran anger domestically, leading to government overthrow.
Also, "ports and railway networks, universities and research centers, and several power plants and water desalination plants were directly hit, while a large number of hospitals, schools and civilian homes were also damaged or destroyed," Al Jazeera describes.
By mid-April, Iran had put a price on the damage, while demanding compensation from Washington:
Iran has also raised the idea of compensation for damages to come through a Strait of Hormuz protocol, which would include a tax on ships passing through the waterway.
An early estimate indicates that Iran has suffered about $270bn in direct and indirect damages since the start of the US-Israel war on February 28, Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said during an interview with Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency, published on Tuesday.
She did not provide further information, such as a breakdown of the damages, but said the issue of compensation was discussed in last week’s negotiations between Tehran and Washington in Pakistan, and will be raised in any potential future talks with the US and mediators.
President Trump himself repeatedly threatening to bomb bridges, power plants, and other infrastructure to send Iran "back to the Stone Age." He's reportedly mulling the resumption of full military operations, amid stalled or non-existent peace talks.
While vital infrastructure and even energy sites have indeed in many cases been obliterated, the lights are still on across the country, save for the persisting government-imposed internet blackout. The internet blackout is now approaching 80 days.
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