Imagine being shot in the face with pellets, your skin marked with bruises and welts, all for daring to protest. This is the chilling reality for some Iranians, as revealed by firsthand accounts from those crossing the border into Iraqi Kurdistan. But here's where it gets even more unsettling: despite the Iranian government's brutal crackdown, the spirit of resistance persists, though it’s shrouded in secrecy and fear.
At the remote mountain pass marking the border, the stern gaze of Ayatollah Khomeini, Iran’s former supreme leader, seems to watch over the sparse stream of Iranians leaving the country. Thick snowflakes blanket the lorries and pedestrians arriving here, a stark contrast to the turmoil within Iran. Just beyond the border post, an Iranian flag flutters in the snow, a silent witness to the exodus.
Iran has shut down the internet and blocked phone calls, effectively cutting off communication with the outside world. Yet, its borders remain open, allowing a trickle of its citizens to escape—or at least to visit family on the Iraqi side. Inside the arrivals hall, we encountered dozens of men, women, and children. None openly admitted to fleeing the recent protests and government crackdown, but one man, who insisted on anonymity, shared a harrowing story.
'I was hit in the face by seven pellet rounds,' he revealed, pointing to the scars and bruises that marred his face. 'They struck above my eyelid, on my forehead, my cheek, my lip, under my ear, and along my jaw. I had to use a razor blade to remove one of the pellets myself.' He confessed he was too terrified of arrest to seek medical help, a fear shared by others injured during the crackdown. 'One of my friends was hit by a pellet,' he added. 'His 12-year-old son was shot twice in the leg with live ammunition. One bullet is still lodged in his shin bone. They’re too scared to go to the hospital.'
Iran’s regime has treated these protests as an existential threat, and its brutal response appears to be working—for now. Protesters are staying home, fearing arrest or death. Human rights groups estimate that at least 2,500 people have been killed. But here’s the part most people miss: the protests haven’t entirely stopped. Several individuals at the border confirmed that demonstrations continued into this week, though they’ve become more localized and clandestine.
'Protests were still happening in Fardis, Malard, and parts of Tehran,' the anonymous protester told us. 'My friends were there. We were constantly in touch. On Tuesday night, the protests were still going on, but I haven’t heard anything since.'
Iranians can cross the border without a visa, and officials report regular traffic in both directions. Another man we spoke to claimed he had seen protesters in Tehran just days earlier, though details remain vague. The BBC has seen no concrete evidence of ongoing street protests, and the trickle of footage emerging is impossible to verify. International media, including the BBC, are barred from reporting inside Iran.
The government’s repression seems effective, but the economic woes that ignited this crisis remain unresolved. A teacher from a town near the border expressed her frustration: 'We don’t want anything more than our basic rights—to own a house, a car, to live a normal life. My salary lasts 10 days, and I have to borrow money for the rest of the month. It’s unbearable.'
When asked about U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of military strikes if the regime continued killing protesters, she replied, 'We’re waiting to see what Trump does. In the meantime, civilians are dying.'
But here’s the controversial part: Iran’s aggressive crackdown may actually signal its vulnerability. The regional proxy groups it once relied on for defense have been weakened by Israel’s conflicts with Hamas and Hezbollah, and the fall of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad. Last year’s Israeli-U.S. confrontation with Iran further depleted its military capabilities, leaving it exposed.
Behind this mountainous border, Iran’s regime is reasserting control. Yet, beneath that control lies a deeper fear: the Islamic Republic’s inability to meet its people’s most basic demands—protection from foreign threats and economic prosperity at home. Is this a regime on the brink, or merely a temporary suppression of dissent? What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
