An Iranian citizen spoke today (Tuesday) in an exclusive interview in Hebrew on the "International Hour" program" On Network B, about the days of protest, the feelings in the country, and the preparations among citizens opposing the regime for a campaign with the United States.
The citizen, who calls himself Raban, spoke fluent Hebrew from inside Iran - knowing that the mere contact with an Israeli media outlet could be considered a serious security offense by the regime.
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
""If they find out I spoke to Israeli radio, it could end in death," he said. "A contact between an Iranian and an Israeli is immediately labeled as espionage. It's almost impossible to prove that it's a normal conversation.".
He said that in recent days, demonstrations have resumed at universities across the country, in what he described as the largest wave of protests since the previous crackdown. "This is the first major protest after what happened," he said.
He said that shortly after the protests began, electricity and internet were cut off across the country. "All of Iran went into darkness. We didn't know what was happening in other cities. We only heard rumors.".
He later claimed that the death toll in last month's events reached tens of thousands – "30,000, 40,000, even 50,000." These are numbers that cannot be verified by independent sources, and are significantly higher than estimates previously published by human rights organizations.
""It took us a month to understand what happened. When we saw the videos, we cried. On every street you heard that someone had been killed.".
He said there were casualties in his immediate vicinity as well. “I know people who were killed. Not close friends, but friends of friends. There was someone in every neighborhood.”.
When asked whether the public retreated following the repression, he replied in the negative. "You entered the river and you're in the middle of the river – there's no way back. You have to keep going.".
According to him, the reasons for the protests have only worsened. "The economic situation is worse now than before the protests. Inflation is at its peak. People have lost at least half of their savings. We can't continue like this.".
Raban says that during the previous wave of protests, many were hoping for American intervention. He recalls messages attributed to US President Donald Trump. "They talked about 'help is on the way.' People were waiting.".
However, he said, there is also an understanding that the Americans act in their own interests. "We cannot depend on America. It pursues its own interests, not ours.".
Still, he describes a public expectation of external military intervention: "Many people look to the sky every day to see when the American Air Force will arrive. If an attack begins from above – we will take to the streets again. Not just a protest. When they start destroying from the sky, we will start destroying from the ground.".
According to him, the conflict is not between peoples but between worldviews. "We are not fighting Israelis, and you are not fighting Iranians. We are fighting extremist Islamic ideology. We have a common enemy.".
Despite the personal risk, Raban chose to speak in Hebrew and ended with a message of closeness between the peoples. "Iran and Israel are among the closest countries in the region – not geographically, but humanly. We can help each other. This can change the Middle East.".
