When news of the Israeli attacks against the Islamic Republic broke, I was worried about the people back home. But when I finally managed to speak with some on the phone, I was shocked – not by their fear or hopelessness, but by their calm satisfaction. They said they were happy that Israel’s strike had hit key regime officials. They were worried about civilian lives, but still felt relieved that the rulers’ power had been hit. They’re hoping that the next strike hit a senior regime figure.
I also spoke with activists and underground groups inside Iran. They said they are waiting for the right moment. When I asked why not now, they said it is too early. The regime has issued shoot-to-kill orders. They said when the main IRGC bases are hit, they will come out. Some even hope that Khamenei and his son will be the next targets.
On the second night of Israeli attacks, even with fear and pressure, people across the country shouted once again. In many cities and neighborhoods, they chanted “Death to Khamenei” and “Death to the Islamic Republic.” This is more proof that the regime has not won, and the people are not silent.
When the regime struck civilian neighborhoods in Israel, I was neither surprised nor shocked. Knowing the regime and its 47-year track record, this was simply a continuation of its usual strategy. For the mullahs, war is not a tragedy – it is an opportunity. An opportunity to deflect from domestic crises, to tighten repression, and to project power that in reality hides behind poverty, incompetence, and fear. In more than four decades of rule, the Islamic Republic has brought nothing but war, misery, and economic ruin to the people of Iran.
The Iranian people love their country. They are proud and patriotic. The Islamic Republic has always used this patriotism for its own survival. During the Iran-Iraq war, millions of Iranians fought bravely to defend their homeland, not the regime. They gave their lives for Iran, not for the ideology of the Islamic Republic. Ayatollah Khomeini once famously said, “For us, war was a blessing.” And what a blessing it was for the regime. It used that war to eliminate political opponents, to silence criticism, and to establish total control. Whenever people protested later, the regime would say, “We gave martyrs.” But those martyrs belonged to the people. They died for their land, not for a system that uses their sacrifice as a political tool.
Once again, the Islamic Republic may try to use this new war to crush dissent, distract from its failures, and extend its rule. But this time, people are not fooled. People understand clearly that this is not their war. It is Khamenei’s war. It does not reflect their values or their goals. They can see that the regime is using this conflict to protect itself, not the country. They know the regime is the real cause of Iran’s problems. They can see that it is weak and want to move on and take back their country.
We are counting the days until Iran is free. Every sign of weakness in the regime gives us hope. We welcome every crack in their power. This weakness may give the brave people inside Iran a chance to finish what they started. We believe in them. We stand with them. And we look forward to the day when the national flag of Iran, the lion and sun, is raised again over a free homeland.
In recent weeks, before this war, speaking to friends and contacts in various cities across Iran, the dominant emotion has not been fear. It is exhaustion. Exhaustion with a regime whose decisions bear no relation to the will or welfare of its people. No ordinary Iranian wants war. Everyone knows who will pay the price, not the leaders in Tehran, but the people in the streets.
Despite harsh censorship and a heavy security presence, criticism of the regime’s militaristic foreign policy is widespread on Iranian social media. People are angry that the country’s wealth is being spent not on improving lives, but on funding proxy groups and endless conflicts across the region.
Can this growing discontent lead to mass protests or an uprising? Iranians have already answered this question, not once but many times. Over the years, they have taken to the streets again and again, chanting “Death to the Islamic Republic” and “Death to Khamenei.” They have demanded real change. And what have they received in return? Bullets, beatings, prisons, and graves. Hundreds were killed. Thousands were arrested and tortured. Yet the international community still sat across the table from their killers, speaking of diplomacy and improving relations with a regime that murdered its own youth.
This approach is entirely at odds with what Iranians inside the country are asking for. The youth of Iran do not believe in reforms. They know with full clarity that this regime cannot be reformed. It was built on religious extremism and the elimination of opposition. A system like this cannot turn into something democratic or just. For years, a generation has stopped believing in reform and is asking for full regime change.
Iran will be freed by its own people. Freedom will come through strikes and mass protests, not foreign intervention, not talks, and not reforms. The future of Iran belongs to its people.
We have a clear message for the world. Put full pressure on the Islamic Republic. Do not talk to this regime. Do not grant visas or protection to regime officials, their families, or their supporters who live freely in the West while helping oppression at home. Cut all ties. Declare the IRGC a terrorist group. This regime does not speak for Iranians. It is their enemy. The world should stand with the people of Iran and support them in every possible way. The people of Iran will bring down the Islamic Republic and build a free country.
Ellie Borhan is an activist against the Iranian regime. Following Mahsa Amini's murder in 2022, she founded the Stage of Freedom group to raise awareness of the Islamic Republic’s human rights abuses through art and street performances
