As mass protests continue across Iran, new testimonies from Iranian voices abroad describe a nation under siege: widespread killings, severe information blackouts, and families denied the bodies of their loved ones. In a special broadcast conversation with Sara van Oordt of Christians for Israel, Iranian pastor and radio director Farshid Seyed Mehdi and writer Keyvan Shabbazi share what they are hearing from inside the country – and why many Iranians see Israel not as an enemy, but as an ally of the Iranian people.

Iran Cut Off From the World

In recent weeks, protests against the regime of Ayatollah Khamenei have dominated international headlines. Human rights organizations report more than 4,500 deaths, while figures circulating on social media suggest the real toll may be far higher. At the same time, Iran has been almost entirely cut off from the outside world.

Internet and phone services have been heavily restricted, allowing only fragments of information to leak out. According to Farshid Seyed Mehdi, director of Persian World Radio, even brief phone calls are prohibitively expensive, costing families nearly €10 per minute. He continued:

The country is completely on blackout. People risk their lives just to tell us they are still alive.

Bodies Withheld, Families Intimidated

Both speakers described extreme measures being used to terrorize the population. Families are reportedly being forced to pay thousands of euros to retrieve the bodies of loved ones, an impossible sum in a country where the average monthly income is around €100.

Those who cannot pay may never receive the bodies at all. “Families are made to walk past rows of body bags to identify their loved ones. If they cannot pay, the bodies are dumped in mass graves.”

Shabbazi, who was arrested and tortured as a teenager under the regime, said the scale of violence is unlike anything he has seen before.

People are being shot in the streets, from children to the elderly. This is a fight for survival – for the regime and for the people.

A Society That Has Crossed a Point of No Return

Despite the brutality, both men emphasized that the protests represent a decisive shift inside Iranian society.

According to Shabbazi, this uprising is fundamentally different from earlier demonstrations. “This is no longer one group – women, students, or intellectuals. The entire society has rejected the ideology of the regime,” he said. “Iran today is not the Iran of last year, and it will never go back.”

He described a population that has definitively turned away from religious rule, concluding that political Islam has brought repression, economic collapse, and endless violence.

Why Many Iranians See Israel as an Ally

One of the most striking themes of the broadcast was the speakers’ insistence that hostility toward Israel does not reflect the views of the Iranian people. Farshid explained: “The enemy is not Israel. The enemy is the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

He explained that anti-Israel hatred is deliberately instilled from childhood through propaganda, school curricula, and forced chants. Yet many Iranians, particularly younger generations, are now rejecting this narrative.

Both speakers pointed to deep historical and biblical ties between Iran and Israel, referencing figures such as Esther, Daniel, Nehemiah, and Cyrus the Great, whose stories are rooted in ancient Persia. Farshid continued:

Our histories are intertwined. Iranians want the world to know: we are not the enemies of Israel.

Read more about Iran in the Bible

International Response: “Painfully Inadequate”

Asked about the global reaction, Shabbazi was blunt.

“It is heartbreaking,” he said. “Even the most basic steps, like designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, are being blocked.”

He criticized European governments for maintaining diplomatic and economic ties while violence escalates, arguing that inaction only strengthens the regime.

What Can Be Done Now?

Both speakers urged concrete action:

• Designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization
• Expel Iranian ambassadors
• Freeze regime-linked assets
• Apply sustained international pressure

For Christians, they also emphasized the importance of prayer – for protection, for truth to come to light, and for a future beyond the current regime.

“There is no way back,” Shabbazi said. “So much blood has been shed. This is the beginning of the end.”

Stay Informed, Pray and Share

As Iran remains largely cut off from the outside world, verified testimonies from trusted sources are more important than ever.

• Read the latest updates on the protests from our verified contacts inside Iran
• Get trusted updates from Iran – sign up to receive monthly news, testimonies and prayer points
• Pray for Iran – use and share our prayer guide
• Give to support urgent humanitarian relief for Iran

Interview originally published on: Christians for Israel