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 on 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 Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime.

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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 demonstrating and to press ahead with what he called a national uprising.

Protesters he is in contact with in Tehran and other cities no longer intend to retreat, he said, and despite the heavy cost, they 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?”

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In all messages sent to Independent Persian since Thursday, when crown prince Reza Pahlavi made a public call for protests 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, in the northeast of the country, said in a message sent on 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.

“Still, no one has backed down. Mashhad – which they used to call the city of Alam-ol-Hoda (a senior Iranian cleric) – is boiling against the regime every night now. We know this is the final stretch: victory or destruction.”

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In Shiraz, Sara, a 28-year-old university student, said: “The city feels under siege, but people have learned how to gather, chant and disperse. Fear is gone.

“Everyone knows that if we retreat now, there won’t be another chance. When the prince’s messages come through via satellite channels, they constantly give us hope. For the first time, we feel truly seen. That line in the prince’s last message about foreign help being on the way was like a morale bomb. We just wish they would help sooner so fewer people are killed.”

As street protests expand, evidence on the ground suggests the current national uprising has entered a new, decisive phase.

According to Independent Persian’s sources, the nationwide internet blackout, mobile network disruptions and even widespread jamming of Starlink satellite internet have not stopped people from taking to the streets. Instead, they have led to more radical slogans and intensified clashes.

Many protesters say the communications blackout is the regime’s last remaining tool to conceal the true scale of the protests – a scale they say is now “beyond control”.

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On Sunday night, the fourth night of crown prince Reza Pahlavi’s public calls, reports and videos showed large crowds in at least 10 neighbourhoods in Tehran, as well as in cities including Isfahan, Najafabad, Fooladshahr, Yazd, Tabriz, Shiraz, Hamedan, Shahsavar (Tonkabon), Kermanshah, Sari, Rasht and Astara.

Chants such as “This is the final battle, Pahlavi will return” and “Long live the Shah” remain among the most prominent slogans.

At the same time, the government is attempting to disrupt information flows by cutting all internet and phone services. Sources in several cities told Independent Persian that severe Starlink disruptions have so far prevented them from sending reports, but stressed that “street presence continues”.

In this context, the message from crown prince Reza Pahlavi released early on Monday was seen as a turning point. Citing the millions who responded to recent calls, he spoke of the beginning of “another phase” of the national uprising – one in which institutions responsible for regime propaganda and communications blackouts are considered “legitimate targets” by the people.

This position sparked widespread reactions inside and outside Iran. Many protesters interpret it as a sign that the movement has moved beyond protest into a phase of direct pressure and the seizure of power.

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Crown prince Reza Pahlavi also presented a stark choice to members of the armed forces and state employees: either stand with the people or side with the “killers of the nation”.

According to informed sources, this part of his message has been closely followed within military and security ranks, alongside reports received by Independent Persian of declining morale and fatigue among security forces.

These domestic developments coincide with escalating international rhetoric. Recent comments by the US president Donald Trump, saying Iran’s government had crossed a “red line” and that people who should not have been killed had been killed, quickly resonated among protesters inside Iran.

Mr Trump said he and the US military were closely monitoring developments and that very strong options were on the table – a warning many protesters see as a shift in the balance in their favour.

On Friday, the crown prince gave a press conference in Washington DC in which he said the regime would fall soon, and that he would return to his homeland.

“This regime is on its last legs, it’s about to collapse,” he told reporters. “The international community must act now in the face of this brutal regime. We need help.”

Reviewed by Tooba Khokhar and Celine Assaf