Inside Iran’s protests: ‘Either we overthrow the regime, or we are destroyed. We have nothing left to lose.’

This article first appeared on our partner site, Independent Persian

“They have gunned down our closest friends. How many have been killed? Two or three thousand? Maybe more – we don’t know.

“All we know is that we will overthrow them and bring back our Shah. One eye is on the sky, hoping Trump will come to help us. Do you think they will? Will they strike?”

This message was sent by Ehsan, a young protester and supporter of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, from Tehran via Starlink satellite internet to Independent Persian. Monday morning.

He is just one of the hundreds of thousands of people who have taken to the streets in Iran in the hope of overthrowing the ayatollah’s regime.

Ehsan described “extremely harsh and painful” conditions, with continuous live fire by security forces using military weapons against civilians.

Despite this, he said people remain determined to continue demonstration and press ahead with what he called a national uprising.

Potesters he is in contact with in Tehran and other cities no longer intend to retreat, he said, and despite the heavy cost are prepared to go “to the very end” to overthrow the regime.

Mobina, a 33-year-old woman in Tehran, told Independent Persian: “You cut our internet and phone lines? We’ll bring hell down on you. We have nothing left to lose.

“Until this murderous, looting system collapses, we will be in the streets every night. You have no idea how massive the crowds are each night in Tehran’s neighbourhoods, chanting ‘Long live the Shah’ and sending fear through the heart of ‘Mouse-Ali’ [a derogatory nickname for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei]. They’ve killed thousands of us, but there’s not a shred of fear left in us.

“The videos that barely make it out of Iran through Starlink during this total internet blackout aren’t even the tip of the iceberg. Even our Starlink connection keeps cutting out because of the jamming they’re sending, and its speed has dropped dramatically. Can’t Elon Musk do anything? What about Trump?”

In all messages sent to Independent Persian since Thursday, when Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi made a public call to protest and a complete internet shutdown was put in place, people have repeatedly emphasised that they are waiting for Donald Trump’s promise of military support to materialise.

Amirhossein, a 35-year-old private-sector employee from the holy city of Mashhad, located in the north-east of the country said in a message sent Sunday night: “This is no longer a protest – it’s a war.

“The security forces are firing directly. No warning shots, no announcements. The wounded are being taken away on motorcycles and in private cars, because ambulances either don’t arrive or are full of security forces.

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