A sense of fatalistic anticipation is spreading in Iran as the threat of a US strike grows, with many expressing fear of war but also resignation that it may be unavoidable—or even transformative.

As Iran’s security forces crushed protests, a parallel operation unfolded online, blaming a domestic uprising on a global conspiracy.

More than 107.8 trillion rials ($66.5 million) in retail money has flowed out of the Tehran Stock Exchange over the past 24 trading sessions, marking what analysts describe as a new phase of liquidity depletion driven by political uncertainty and fears of military escalation.

Iran has agreed a secret €500 million arms deal with Russia to acquire thousands of advanced shoulder-fired missiles in a major effort to rebuild air defenses damaged during last year’s war with Israel, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

A film with intimate scenes shot inside Iran premiered at the Berlin film festival this week, marking a new escalation in Iranian artists’ defiance of censorship at home.

Three Iranians working as engineers in Silicon Valley were charged with stealing sensitive trade secrets from leading US technology firms and transferring confidential data to unauthorized locations, including Iran, US authorities said on Thursday.

Iran’s January massacre of protesters has left scars far beyond the streets. In cemeteries and hometowns, families are transforming centuries-old mourning rites into defiant celebrations of lives cut short.