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By John Ogunsemore
Iranian rapper, Meraj Tehrani broke down in tears as he described a brutal crackdown by security forces that he labelled “a massacre on the streets” of his home country, where massive protests continue.
Tehrani, who is based in the UK, disclosed he had returned to Iran on business in early January, just as demonstrations erupted across the country over economic hardships and quickly morphed into calls for regime change.
In an emotional interview with Sky News international correspondent Alex Rossi, Tehrani recounted the initial shock of the government at the scale of the unrest.
“At first I think the government didn’t believe that so many people would come out, they were surprised,” he said.
He described “millions” of Iranians from all walks of life taking to the streets, united in their demands for change.
“I’ve never seen an Iranian mood like that. Everyone was united, everyone was hoping, ‘This is the time’. Everyone was chanting together for the first time,” Tehrani added, his voice cracking with emotion.
The protests, which began in late December 2025 over issues like rising prices, water and electricity shortages, and unfulfilled promises by President Masoud Pezeshkian, rapidly escalated into anti-government demonstrations targeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Tehrani said the turning point came on the evening of January 9, when the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intervened.
“That’s when everything got serious,” he said, “and it became a massacre on the streets.”
He narrated harrowing scenes of violence, including the use of live ammunition and machine guns fired indiscriminately at protesters.
“Bullets shooting and killing people,” Tehrani said, adding that bodies were deliberately “left on the street for the others to look at, so they get panicked and scared and it is a lesson for them, ‘You are next if you’re coming out on the street’… If you come out and demonstrate again, you will be like this guy, this lady, this woman, this kid.”
He alleged that shots were aimed at “heads and chest” to maximise lethality, and that foreign fighters, including members of Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), were imported by the regime to help the crackdown because they “know how to fight.”
Tehrani, who said he has received death threats on social media, vowed not to return to Iran, stating, “If I go back, they will catch me and hang me.”
Despite the peril, he expressed defiance, urging the world to listen: “The whole world needs to understand and hear us. How can we be terrorists? We just want a better life. We just want freedom.”
The rapper criticised the international response, questioning, “Where is the European Union? Where is (UK Prime Minister) Keir Starmer? I’ve never seen him put down any statement.”
Tehrani also expressed mixed feelings about United States President Donald Trump’s supportive statements on Tuesday, saying Iranians felt “a bit let down, but we have hope.”
This comes amid Iran’s longest-ever internet blackout, imposed to stifle communication and coverage of the unrest.
Human rights groups have documented a staggering toll of dead persons.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it verified 3,090 deaths, including 2,885 protesters, as of January 17.
Other estimates from organisations like Iran Human Rights and HRANA place the figure between 3,000 and 3,500.
In a rare admission on Saturday, Supreme Leader Khamenei acknowledged “several thousand people” had been killed, but blamed the violence on foreign interference, particularly from the US and Israel.
Speaking on state television, he accused Trump of inciting the protests and held him responsible for “deaths, damage and accusations he has inflicted on the Iranian people.”
Khamenei described the unrest as “American sedition” orchestrated by “those linked to Israel and US,” vowing that Iran would not be pushed into war but would punish “domestic and international criminals.”
Iranian state media and officials have characterised the protests as “riots” hijacked by external enemies, while acknowledging economic grievances as legitimate.
The Foreign Ministry condemned US “interventionist and misleading remarks,” warning of consequences for hostile policies.
Authorities have reported arrests of thousands accused of ties to opposition groups and promised tough action against “rioters.”
Meanwhile, Tehrani predicted the regime’s collapse within “less than two months,” insisting, “One person’s life matters in any nation, and thousands of people have been killed in a very aggressive way.”
