Two Iranian protesters who managed to survive the government’s ruthless suppression in January have expressed to The Post their belief that the people will eventually reclaim their country. They are certain that change is inevitable.
A Tehran resident, aged 43, shared with The Post that the anticipated uprising will be unparalleled due to the profound animosity directed towards the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps following the massacre. “The protest that will happen will be something extraordinary, because the hatred people have for [the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] after the massacre is extremely intense,” she stated.
The woman recounted the terrifying scenes she witnessed during the protests, describing them as experiences that will stay with her indefinitely. “Brains and intestines and internal organs had been splattered all over people’s faces… things that no one could forget for a very, very long time,” she recalled.
Another protester, a 37-year-old tattoo artist from Tehran, described the crackdown as unimaginably severe. “It was the most brutal crackdown imaginable,” he said. “They were just shooting people. They didn’t really care if someone was part of the protest or not, or just passing by.”
Both individuals spoke under the condition of anonymity, fearing repercussions from the government. Their accounts were shared with The Post through phone interviews conducted with the help of an interpreter.
Both Iranian citizens spoke on the condition of anonymity because they fear for their lives. They were interviewed by The Post this week by phone via an interpreter.
The Islamic regime is estimated to have killed more than 36,500 protesters during massive demonstrations that broke out across the country in January. The woman said as many as 2 million people were in the street the night she was out.
The Iranians told The Post that the vast majority of the country supports the US and Israel as they continue to dismantle their repressive regime.
“We are totally, one hundred percent, thankful and grateful for this. . . . I would say more than 90 percent of the people are grateful to Trump and thankful to the USA,” the man said.
“The only time people become worried is when the number of missiles [decreases], when the noise stops — then for several hours everyone gets stressed thinking [a ceasefire] is going to happen again,” the woman said.
The woman, who runs an animal rescue, said she learned that her country’s longtime oppressor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been killed by a US-Israeli airstrike Feb. 28 from the sounds of people cheering.
“Everyone had their heads out the windows, shouting with joy. They were setting off fireworks. Then I turned on the television and understood that Khamenei was dead. That is how happy people were — they were celebrating,” she said.
The two said the regime’s crackdown on public protests has gotten even more repressive as the US and Israel continue to lay waste to its top leaders and military installations.
“Every night [regime forces] come into the streets, shouting and roaring, threatening people, cursing at them, saying, ‘If you come into the streets, we will kill you,’” the woman said.
However, she believes the Iranian government’s threats are a sign of weakness, and that the unarmed populace will rise up once the US and Israel have sufficiently degraded the regime.
“They have become weak and are very close to collapse; everyone [in Iran] is just waiting to come into the streets and finish the job,” she said.
The cat rescuer said most Iranians are waiting for Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi to give the signal to rise up.
“People are only waiting for Reza Pahlavi’s call,” she said.
The man agreed. “We’re waiting for the word from the Crown Prince. If he says we should go take over the national TV building or government buildings, we’ll go and do it,” he said.
Despite their support for the war, the prolonged bombing campaign has upended normal life for Tehran’s 9.8 million residents.
“Nobody goes to school. Whether you’re a student or you work, there are no shelters and there are no sirens, so the only way we know if we need to take cover is when you hear the explosions,” the man said.
