An Iranian journalist and activist speaking under the name Armin said mass protests are continuing across Iran despite a violent crackdown, urging Israel and the United States to intervene to reduce what he described as an escalating human toll.
In an interview with ynet, Armin said Iranians have poured into the streets following calls by exiled opposition figure Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah, and amid a belief that Israel and the United States support the protest movement.
An Iranian journalist and activist speaking under the name Armin about the situation in Iran
(Video: Yaron Brener)
“The Iranian people believe Trump and Netanyahu have their back,” Armin said. “That is one of the main reasons you are seeing so many people in the streets.”
Armin claimed demonstrators in Iran have carried signs thanking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former U.S. President Donald Trump, and that public sentiment inside Iran has grown increasingly pro-Israel, particularly after last year’s 12-day war between Israel and Iran-backed forces.
He said Iranians were grateful for Israeli strikes that killed senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leaders, arguing that the actions weakened what he called the regime’s ability to suppress dissent.
“We were celebrating Netanyahu’s messages to the Iranian people,” Armin said, referring to video statements that circulated widely online before Iran imposed an internet blackout. “They went viral in Iran. People loved them.”
According to Armin, communications from inside Iran abruptly stopped after authorities cut internet and landline access. He said his last messages from contacts inside the country reflected growing desperation.
“They were asking me, ‘Where is Bibi? You told us he would be here,’” he said.
Iranian authorities have acknowledged that at least several thousand people have been killed since protests erupted, while human rights groups and opposition outlets have cited higher figures that remain difficult to independently verify due to restrictions on information.
Armin claimed tens of thousands have been killed in recent days, including more than 12,000 over two nights, assertions that could not be confirmed. He said some members of the IRGC and the Basij militia have attempted to leak information out of fear over the scale of the violence.
“They are killing people in darkness,” he said. “You are not seeing the mass numbers yet.”
Asked why he chose to speak with Israeli media, Armin said he understood Israel’s primary responsibility is to its own citizens, but argued that helping Iranians topple the Islamic Republic would ultimately strengthen Israeli security.
“The best way to protect Israelis right now is to help the Iranian people take out your main enemy,” he said. “Everything you are facing has been backed and financed by the Islamic Republic.”
Armin said Iranians are prepared to continue protesting regardless of the cost, but appealed for outside intervention to reduce casualties.
“There is no going back,” he said. “When a regime turns its weapons on its own people at this level, it cannot survive. The only question is the cost.”
He said protesters believe the Islamic Republic’s collapse is inevitable, even without external help, but warned that continued inaction could result in further mass deaths.
“We are not asking for help because without it we will fail,” he said. “We are asking to reduce the cost.”
Armin argued that a post-regime Iran would emerge as a secular, democratic state aligned with Israel and the West, under the leadership of Reza Pahlavi, whom he described as the central figure being chanted for in the streets.
“The Iranian people are chanting one name,” he said. “Prince Reza Pahlavi.”
He urged Israelis to recognize Pahlavi as a potential ally and to support him publicly, warning that the regime could attempt to reconstitute itself under a reformed facade if a clear alternative is not established.
Asked about his own family, Armin said he has lost contact with relatives and associates inside Iran who had been sending videos of protests before communications were severed.
“Every person in my network was in the streets,” he said. “If they are still alive, they will be back tonight.”
Despite the crackdown, Armin said he does not believe the protests can be permanently suppressed.
“You cannot return to normal after killing this many people,” he said. “The conditions that caused this revolution will only get worse.”
He said Iranians will remember who stood with them during the crisis.
“The Iranian people will never forget who came to their aid when they needed it most,” Armin said. “That gratitude will last forever.”
The Iranian government has accused foreign powers, including Israel and the United States, of orchestrating the unrest and has labeled protesters terrorists, a claim denied by opposition groups.
As communications remain largely cut and casualty figures remain contested, the situation inside Iran continues to unfold amid growing international scrutiny and debate over whether outside pressure will translate into direct action.