Iranian documaker on B1 Bridge when strikes hit

Iranian documentarian Mohamadreza Goudarzi-Mehr shares his experience of being at the scene of the U.S. and Israeli attacks on the B1 Bridge in Iran's Alborz Province.

The documaker was quoated by the local media as saying, "The first attack started around 1:00 PM (local time) when they struck B1 Bridge. Around 3:00 PM (local time), I saw the news on social media, and since I had prior experience and knowledge in bridge and tunnel construction, I realized the importance of this structure. Even from the images of the vehicles and the project's layout, I could tell it was a complex and significant project, a bridge said to be the tallest in the region, and that heightened my sensitivity."

The director added, "I told my friends that this bridge was a major achievement in road construction and that we needed to do something about it. We decided to go to the site and document the damage."

Goudarzi-Mehr continued, "I started filming the damage from the first attack. Shortly after, my friends arrived, and we left the site, moving about 500 meters away from the bridge. We intended to go underneath the bridge because most of the damage could be documented from there, but before moving, we decided to take a few more shots from the top. We’d barely been filming for a minute or two when the second strike hit"

"At that moment, with three cameras, we recorded everything. Some of those images were published as news footage, but our work didn't end there. After the attack, we didn't leave the site. We went to the bottom of the bridge, where the injured were," the director explained.

Regarding the emotional state of himself and his team at the moment of the second attack, the filmmaker said, "The truth is, we didn't go there expecting to be in a dangerous situation."

He added, "It was a terrifying situation, and all of us were scared, but when I spoke in front of the camera, I tried not to let that fear show in my voice."

The B1 bridge, located in the provincial capital Karaj, is one of the highest bridges in the Middle East and among the most complicated projects in Iran.

US-Israeli airstrikes deliberately targeted the bridge on April 2, causing significant structural damage and leaving several people dead or injured.