Tensions in Iran have taken a drastic turn with a recent explosion in eastern Tehran, causing widespread damage. Despite the immediate danger, life has resumed, illustrating the blurred lines between physical and abstract conflict.

On most nights, the sound that defines Tehran is not conversation or traffic. Instead, it is a distant explosion, a jet overhead, a pause in the rhythm of ordinary life. A few days ago, that distance collapsed. An explosion in eastern Tehran, where I live, shattered the windows of our home. Glass fell across my books and laptop, damaging it beyond repair. For a moment, the abstract language of conflict became immediate and physical. And yet, almost as quickly, life resumed. The city has not...