The uprising in Iran enters a critical phase

In recent days, the regime has abandoned any pretense of restraint, unleashing lethal force on a scale that reveals fear rather than strength.

In just two days, thousands of protesters were massacred, according to information gathered from hospitals, forensic medicine centers, eyewitness accounts, and reports from families across the country.

Although the consolidated death toll will be announced later, the brutality of this brief period alone underscores the regime's determination to crush the insurrection at any cost. The streets, morgues, and detention centers have become scenes of collective trauma, particularly for Iranian youth, who form the backbone of the protests.

Alongside the killings, the crackdown has reached staggering proportions. More than 50,000 people have been arrested across the country since the uprising began, following waves of nighttime raids on homes, workplaces, and entire neighborhoods. Arrests are often arbitrary, with many people detained simply for being in protest areas. The regime's own judiciary has admitted in the past that tens of thousands were detained during previous uprisings, reinforcing concerns that the current figures may rise even further. International access to prisons remains blocked, making any independent verification impossible.

Despite this repression, the insurrection has not receded. On the contrary, it has continued to expand both geographically and politically. A decisive factor has been the role of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK) and its nationwide network of Resistance Units. These units constitute the only organized force on the ground capable of sustaining the protests in conditions of extreme violence, internet blackouts, and mass arrests.

Far from being spontaneous or leaderless, the uprising reflects years of clandestine organization, coordination, and political preparation. The Resistance Units have played a central role in keeping the protests alive night after night, breaking the climate of fear imposed by the regime, and attacking symbols of repression.

Their activities have allowed demonstrations to persist even after massacres, transforming isolated protests into a sustained national uprising. This organized dimension explains why the regime has devoted enormous resources to demonizing the PMOI, while attempting to divert public attention to false alternatives.

One such diversionary tactic has been the renewed promotion of monarchist narratives. Reza Pahlavi, son of the deposed Shah, has been lobbying intensively in Washington, seeking the support of Donald Trump and his political entourage. So far, these efforts have not produced any tangible results. More importantly, they are completely disconnected from the reality inside Iran.

To fabricate the illusion of monarchist support, images of unrelated protests have been deliberately manipulated through the addition of audio, selective editing, and misleading captions, in order to falsely suggest that crowds are chanting slogans in favor of Reza Pahlavi. These tactics play directly into the hands of the mullahs: they seek to discourage protesters, sow confusion, and dilute the clarity of the uprising's demands. This is not simply disinformation; it is the theft of an insurrection. It is particularly troubling that many of these manipulated videos have been traced back to Iran International, a satellite channel funded by the Saudi royal family, raising serious questions about political agendas imposed from outside on a popular uprising.

The reality on the ground is unequivocal. The thousands of people killed were overwhelmingly young Iranians—students, workers, and unemployed graduates—who have grown up under clerical rule and reject all forms of dictatorship.

Their slogans leave no room for doubt: they oppose both religious tyranny and monarchical autocracy. What they demand is a republic, based on popular sovereignty, political pluralism, and fundamental freedoms. Attempts to portray the insurrection as nostalgia for the Shah are not only false, but an insult to the memory of those who have paid with their lives.

Iran now stands at a historic crossroads. The scale of the killings, the mass arrests, and the persistence of organized resistance point to a confrontation that cannot be resolved through repression or deception. Whatever the immediate outcome, one thing is already clear: this uprising is not about reforming the system or restoring the past. It is about ending dictatorship in all its forms and establishing a democratic republic chosen by the Iranian people themselves.