Rage and frustration continue to mount as Iranians suffer under a theocratic dictatorship led by Ayatollah Ali Kamenei that silences their cries for basic human rights. Since late December, Iranians have been fighting the Government; challenging decades of repression, censorship and abuse of power. 

Witnesses have described to The New York Times that security forces were firing at unarmed protestors at close range; while snipers fired from rooftops into the crowds of Tehran. 

The Human Rights Activists News Agency accounted for more than 3,900 protestors and 180 security forces killed. Moreover, more than 9,000 other deceased individuals are yet to be verified. 

Footage and thorough information regarding Iran’s current climate is difficult to know at present due to a near-total shutdown of internet access and cellphone calls. As per several news outlets, the Iranian Government aims to restore internet access for civilians by the end of this week. 

United States President, Donald Trump threatened Iran with military action to protect protestors, while also expressing willingness to negotiate with the Iranian Government. Trump reported that he had been notified that planned executions of protesters would be ceased, and that killing and violence in Iran had stopped. 

On the Morning Mix, Natalie de Silver and Mark Henderson welcomed Iranian, Local Independent Ryde Councillor Tina Kordrostami– discussing her perspectives on Iran’s current political climate. 

The former Green’s councillor commented on her departure from the party stating, “I can no longer be represented by a party which sympathises with, you know, the same terrorist groups that are right now in our streets back home in Iran killing people.”  

“[Regarding leaving the Green’s Political Party] I do often think if the response would have been the same if I was a man.” 

Kordrostami said to 2RRR that her departure followed disagreements over the Green’s political perspective on the 12-day war in Iran.

“People don’t know enough. And when you don’t know enough, you often go off your emotions. If more people knew about what Iranian’s go through on a daily basis…they would think twice about how hateful they are.” 

“We need nuance… You can support innocent Palestinians; you can support innocent Israeli Jews. You can also support innocent Iranians all at the same time. You can stand against Genocide; and you can at the same time condemn Hamas as a terrorist group. These two can exist at the same time.”

She continued, “If you don’t need to worry about your family surviving the next day. If you don’t need to worry about, you know, what kind of future you might or might not have access to—you start worrying about things like Western Imperialism.” 

“The biggest hypocrisy for me is all of these elements; these freedoms they’re constantly fighting so hard for: identity, expression. These are all things that the Islamic regime has suppressed from its people for 47 years. And yet, today they choose to stay silent on the matter because it doesn’t support their anti-western imperialist narrative.” 

Listen below for 2RRR’s full interview with Ryde Councillor Tina Kordrostami, as she shared her raw perspective on the events unfolding in Iran.