An Iranian rapper who was present during the recent mass demonstrations in Iran has given a chilling eyewitness account, describing a 'massacre on the streets' and suggesting the regime deployed foreign forces to crush dissent.
Eyewitness to a Crackdown
Meraj Tehrani, a musician based in the UK, told Sky News he travelled to Iran on business in early January as protests, initially sparked by economic woes, erupted nationwide. He described a nation united in a demand for fundamental change. 'I've never seen an Iranian mood like that,' Tehrani said. 'Everyone was united, everyone was hoping, "This is the time".'
The situation escalated dramatically on Friday 9 January, according to his testimony. He reported that after millions took to the streets, the internet was shut down and the regime's Revolutionary Guard intervened. 'That's when everything got serious,' he stated, 'and it became a massacre on the streets.'
A Supreme Leader's Admission and Escalating Violence
His account comes as Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, made a rare public acknowledgement on Saturday 17 January 2026. Khamenei admitted that 'several thousand people' had been killed in the unrest, a figure that aligns with data from the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. The group has verified 3,090 deaths, including 2,885 protesters.
Tehrani described seeing the use of non-lethal rounds and tear gas before the violence intensified. He claims to have seen video evidence of systematic killings, with bodies left in public as a warning. 'If you come out and demonstrate again, you will be like this guy, this lady, this woman, this kid,' he recounted of the regime's alleged tactic. He also asserted that machine guns were used to shoot protesters at random.
Foreign Forces and a Regime 'Days Are Numbered'
The rapper made a startling claim that the Iranian regime brought in external militias, specifically mentioning the Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Forces, to suppress the protests. 'That is why they know how to fight, [shooting at] heads and chest,' he said.
Now back in the UK and fearing for his life, Tehrani said he has received threats and believes he would be hanged if he returned. Despite this, he vows to be a voice for his people. He expressed profound disappointment with the international community, questioning the response from the European Union and UK Labour leader Keir Starmer.
Convinced the regime's collapse is imminent, Tehrani predicted, 'The regime's days are numbered, maybe less than two months.' In contrast, Supreme Leader Khamenei, in comments carried by state media, blamed the unrest and casualties on 'those linked to Israel and the US', calling it an 'American sedition' designed to destroy Iran.
