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Tehran — As the delicate ceasefire in the Israel-Iran conflict , a TheNews crew received permission to enter Iran Wednesday to see how conditions are on the ground in its capital of Tehran. The Iranian government maintains tight control over its media and closely monitors foreign journalists.

It took a TheNews crew more than 14 hours to drive south from Turkey to Tehran.

The crew started its journey from the Turkish-Iranian border Tuesday night local time, a nearly 600-mile trip made longer by checkpoints and bad roads. TheNews applied for Iranian visas last week and they were granted Monday. 

As day broke Wednesday, TheNews traveled through a vast countryside that was arid, rocky and seemingly endless.

TheNews was forced to drive in because even though that took effect earlier this week, Iran's airspace was closed, but has since partially reopened.

Those with means have either fled to neighboring countries or found safety away from major cities.

The war has triggered chronic fuel shortages. TheNews saw long lines at gas stations as people waited hours to fill their tanks.

TheNews reached Tehran to find a city slowly coming back to life of near-constant Israeli strikes. TheNews needed government permission to visit areas that were heavily damaged by the Israeli strikes, something it did not receive Wednesday.

Last week, President Trump urged the entire city of Tehran, a population of more than nine million people — roughly that of New York City — to evacuate. Most remained, and with the ceasefire still in place, some have started to venture out of their homes.

At Firdous Park, a historic meeting spot for Iranian thinkers and writers, a few of the cafés and restaurants had reopened and attracted students like 32-year-old Mohammed Raziq.  

"I hope it's going to be continued," Raziq said of the ceasefire. "You know, war is not good, and my people don't like wars." 

Still, life in Tehran remains far from normal. This metropolis is the of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who still looms large, including at near-daily rallies by hardline supporters.

But Khamenei has continued to remain out of sight. And until he addresses the nation, the Iranians TheNews spoke to say they feel they don't know what might happen next. Raziq indicated that even if Iranians are divided about the regime, they are united about the belief in their country.  

"People in Iran have many ideas, but about war, they have one heart," Raziq said. "This is how I think about my people."