A young Iranian woman in Tehran has given a first-hand account of her experience in the country over the past weeks, describing escalating violence, mass repression, and widespread fear as protests against the Iranian regime continue under a near-total media blackout.
According to the New York Post, the woman, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons, briefly regained contact with the outside world after being cut off by government restrictions on communications. Over several hours, she relayed details of deadly crackdowns, surveillance tactics, and daily life deteriorating across the capital.
She reported that at least five people in her close circle were killed in recent days, including a man who was shot while shielding his wife during a protest. She said families are being forced to pay so-called “bullet fees” to retrieve the bodies of loved ones, with one family paying 500 million tomans, roughly $5,000, before burial. Despite the payment, official death certificates reportedly list causes such as “impact of a sharp object,” rather than gunshot wounds.
She described large demonstrations earlier in the week that overwhelmed security forces, with crowds including children, pregnant women, and elderly protesters. Tear gas, pepper spray, and sound devices were deployed to break up those gatherings. By Saturday, she said, anti-terror police units were brought in and live ammunition began to be used.
She claimed deaths nationwide may number in the thousands, though those figures could not be independently verified due to the communications blackout. Internet access remains largely unavailable, and satellite dishes are being confiscated from rooftops as police search homes without warrants.
The woman also described the use of drones to identify protesters, text messages warning individuals they were being monitored, and paramilitary groups attacking civilians in traffic with machetes. Much of Tehran now shuts down by early evening, a stark contrast to normal life in the city.
Beyond the violence, she detailed worsening living conditions, including food price spikes of more than 30 percent, severe air pollution, nightly water shutoffs, and economic collapse.
Despite the repression, the woman told the Post that chants of “Death to the dictator” continue, including at mass burials. She described Iranians as “hostages in our own country,” but said many believe the regime is closer to collapse than ever.
She said she hope that President Donald Trump would follow through on pledges to support the Iranian people and dismantle the ruling regime.
According to the New York Post, the woman, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons, briefly regained contact with the outside world after being cut off by government restrictions on communications. Over several hours, she relayed details of deadly crackdowns, surveillance tactics, and daily life deteriorating across the capital.
She reported that at least five people in her close circle were killed in recent days, including a man who was shot while shielding his wife during a protest. She said families are being forced to pay so-called “bullet fees” to retrieve the bodies of loved ones, with one family paying 500 million tomans, roughly $5,000, before burial. Despite the payment, official death certificates reportedly list causes such as “impact of a sharp object,” rather than gunshot wounds.
She described large demonstrations earlier in the week that overwhelmed security forces, with crowds including children, pregnant women, and elderly protesters. Tear gas, pepper spray, and sound devices were deployed to break up those gatherings. By Saturday, she said, anti-terror police units were brought in and live ammunition began to be used.
She claimed deaths nationwide may number in the thousands, though those figures could not be independently verified due to the communications blackout. Internet access remains largely unavailable, and satellite dishes are being confiscated from rooftops as police search homes without warrants.
The woman also described the use of drones to identify protesters, text messages warning individuals they were being monitored, and paramilitary groups attacking civilians in traffic with machetes. Much of Tehran now shuts down by early evening, a stark contrast to normal life in the city.
Beyond the violence, she detailed worsening living conditions, including food price spikes of more than 30 percent, severe air pollution, nightly water shutoffs, and economic collapse.
Despite the repression, the woman told the Post that chants of “Death to the dictator” continue, including at mass burials. She described Iranians as “hostages in our own country,” but said many believe the regime is closer to collapse than ever.
She said she hope that President Donald Trump would follow through on pledges to support the Iranian people and dismantle the ruling regime.
