Desperate cries

Eyewitness: “They throw the bodies into containers”

Protests against the mullahs are taking place mainly in Iran's cities.(Bild: AP/Vahid/KroneKREATIV)

How many Iranians have already had to die for their dream of freedom? It is currently very difficult for people on the ground to make contact with the outside world. The images that are coming through show Tehran's bloodthirsty actions – while Donald Trump indirectly calls on the demonstrators to overthrow the government.

On Tuesday, Iranian officials spoke of around 2,000 fatalities. The exact figures cannot currently be reliably verified – but the images speak volumes. For several days now, security forces of the totalitarian regime in Tehran have been firing live ammunition at demonstrators.

According to human rights organizations, young people in particular are being executed. In order to conceal the bloodshed, the internet has been shut down in large parts of the country and curfews imposed. The protests in Iran were sparked more than two weeks ago by anger over the poor economic situation and have since spread to mass demonstrations against the leadership in Tehran. 

"They throw the bodies into containers"
Anyone who takes to the streets is risking their life. Eyewitness reports are repeatedly finding their way onto the internet. In Tehran in particular, corpses are said to be piling up in the streets. The "Vahid Online" account on the X platform is considered a repository for authentic reports from those affected on the ground.

Corpses have been blurred by the editors.(Bild: Vahid Online/X.com, Krone KREATIV)

One of the most recent eyewitness reports states: "I traveled almost 1,000 kilometers to get internet access and send these pictures." The videos show body bags, injured people, and mutilated bodies as far as the eye can see. The footage was apparently taken on Saturday at a clinic in the south of the city. According to reports, the wounded do not dare to go to hospitals because they fear being arrested.

The videos repeatedly feature the cries of relatives desperately searching for their loved ones. "They are throwing the bodies into containers. On this day alone, over 2,000 bodies were scattered on the ground. When we arrived, a fully loaded refrigerated container (...) had already been provided," the message continues.

Iranians in exile spur on demonstrators
The widow of the last Shah has called on the security forces in Iran to join forces with the demonstrators from exile. "Hear the cries of anger and rage from the demonstrators. Join your brothers and sisters before it's too late," 87-year-old Farah Pahlavi said Tuesday on the online service Telegram. Nothing justifies bloodshed.

"Do not make your fate dependent on that of the murderers," wrote the Shah's widow. "Be strong and believe that soon you will celebrate freedom in Iran together and that light will triumph over darkness." The Shah's widow thus supported calls from her son Reza Pahlavi, who lives in the US and has become a symbolic figure of the Iranian opposition in recent weeks.

The exiled prince was recently interviewed by CBS about his role in the current conflict (see tweet above). "Is it responsible to send citizens in Iran to their deaths? Do you bear some responsibility?" a reporter asked Pahlavi. He replied: "This is a war, and war demands sacrifices. To limit and minimize the number of casualties and prevent innocent people from being killed again by this regime, measures must be taken."

Will the mullah regime be overthrown?
And indeed, shooting is not taking place everywhere. In Abdanan, police officers waved to demonstrators – a remarkable breach of taboo. Western politicians in particular seem certain that the regime of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (86) will collapse.

"When a regime can only hold on to power through violence, then it is effectively finished. I assume that we are now seeing the last days and weeks of this regime," said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. "I hope that there is a way to end this conflict peacefully. The mullah regime must now also realize this."

US President Donald Trump also assured on Tuesday that "help" was on the way: "Iranian patriots, keep protesting! Take over your institutions!" he declared on his Truth Social platform. "They will pay a high price," the Republican wrote in reference to the regime.

It is unclear exactly what he means by this. Recently, there has been speculation that the US government could use Elon Musk's Starlink to override the nationwide blackout. According to its president, Ursula von der Leyen, the EU Commission is working on introducing new sanctions against Iran "soon."