‘Since 1979, when the Islamic regime came into power, Iran has effectively been run by ISIS’

As many as 15,000 people have so far been killed by troops belonging to Iran’s Islamic regime, according to a Birmingham-based Iranian whose family lives in Tehran. 

Ryan (not his real name) told West Midlands News that “bodies are piling up in the streets, and some of this footage has got out, but Revolutionary Guard soldiers were now entering people’s homes to kill them away from public view.”

‘Death toll as high as 15,000’

WM News has no easy way of verifying the 15,000 figure. Global media reports range from 2,000 dead to more than 10,000. Whatever the figure, the situation is dire.

“The Ayatollah has ordered a blackout of phones and internet, so images of the atrocities cannot get out of Iran,” said Ryan.

“They are even using military jammers to stop Starlink devices from working. Meanwhile, the regime is pushing out fake videos, either made with AI or from many years ago, to try to control the narrative.”

Ryan said he has been physically sick with worry for his mother, father, siblings and wider family, all of whom are in Tehran.

Blocked phones but some outgoing calls from Iran are possible

He said the first 10 days were the worst for him as he heard nothing from his family. In recent days, he said that while calls to Iran were not getting through, outgoing calls from Iran had been possible, but they all cut off after one minute.

“My mum was finally able to call me. It was such a relief to know she was OK – but then, after 60 seconds, the calls cut off. I’m sure it’s because the regime is monitoring them.”

In late December 2025, widespread protests erupted across all 31 Iranian provinces over economic collapse and political grievances, evolving into one of the biggest anti-government movements in years. 

Demonstrators are demanding an end to the Islamic Republic, with many openly chanting against Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khamenei. 

The regime has responded with lethal force, mass arrests, and a nationwide internet and phone blackout.

Fast-track trials and executions

It is also carrying out fast-track trials of detainees, with death toll estimates ranging from thousands to potentially over 10,000, with tens of thousands more detained. 

International condemnation has grown, prompting new sanctions by the UK and threats from US President Donald Trump of “strong action” if executions continue. 

“From what I’ve heard from friends and family in Iran, the real death toll is far higher than that being reported by media. I believe it’s around 15,000 so far, maybe even more – executions and summary murders in broad daylight. People just being shot,” Ryan said.

“Military are not just killing people in the streets – they are going into people’s homes to kill them.”

Flight data shows many aircraft from Iraq ‘drafting in militia’

Ryan said he has been monitoring flight data in the region and has seen an unusually large number of aircraft coming into Iran from nearby Iraq.

“The IRG (Islamic Revolutionary Guard) is drafting in militia from Iraq to help boost their numbers,” said Ryan.

“That’s what I’ve heard from friends and family, and the flight data backs this up.”

He said the situation was “sickening” and that he and other Iranians outside or Iran scour the few pieces of media footage that do make it out to the wider world to see if they can spot their family members as the Revolutionary Guards seek to quell the uprising.

The regime has been in place since 1979, when mass protests took place against Iran’s monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, driven by authoritarian rule, inequality, and resentment of Western influence, forced him into exile. 

The result was the return of Ayatollah Khomeini from exile to lead a popular revolution. After a referendum, he replaced the monarchy with an Islamic Republic governed by a staunch Islamic clerical authority. 

The Islamic regime has been in place ever since, becoming increasingly hardline in the treatment of Iranian people while it continues to fund its terror proxies, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and various other groups across the Middle East.

‘Iran is basically in the hands of ISIS’

“We lost control of our country in 1979, and it is now basically in the hands of ISIS,” said Ryan.

“As soon as the regime came to power, it vowed to destroy Israel. It has been trying to do this ever since with its terrorist proxies across the Middle East, all funded by Iranian oil money. 

“The propaganda the Islamic regime puts out is perhaps its most potent weapon. The antisemitic lies and falsehoods snowball and have hoodwinked the minds of so many people in the West, particularly those on the political left.

‘We want to go back to the Shah’

“The reality on the ground in Iran is vastly different. All Iranian people I know want to go back to the Shah, who has notably said he wants to return to Iran ‘so people can vote against me.’

“That’s his way of saying he will turn Iran into a secular democracy, which is what we all wish for it to be.

‘Iran is not a Muslim country – Islam is forced upon us’

“Many people think Iran is a Muslim nation. It’s not. It’s Zoroastrian. But the regime forces people to declare themselves as Shi’ite Muslims. My own birth certificate says so. But I’m not. I’m an atheist.”

‘I want the West to attack Iran – that’s our only hope’

So, how does this end? In the past, uprisings have been quashed and the brutal status quo has been maintained. Trump is issuing stern threats to the Ayatollah if executions continue. Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro can vouch for Trump being a man who delivers on his words, so could this strongman stance be enough to bring change in Iran?

“The overthrow of the regime depends on the West,” Ryan said.

“It feels shameful to say I want the West – the US, UK, Israel, allied Western nations – to attack my homeland, but I do. That’s the only hope for Iranians.”