'They are getting prepared for the next uprising,' Iranian activist tells i24NEWS

Rayan Amiri is an Iranian political activist who was among the organizers of the recent protests in his hometown in northern Iran, when across the country approximately 40,000 people were massacred by regime forces.

Armed only with his camera phone and protected by a black hoodie and sunglasses to hide his identity, and also due to a rare eye condition, this self-proclaimed “freedom fighter” was on the ground documenting the killing of Iranian protestors, with his videos receiving tens of millions of views on western media news outlets and social media.

Now, he is on the run, forced to flee Iran and leave his family behind, while the IRGC hunts him. "I fled Iran because the regime identified me. People in my town told me they were searching for a person who matched my description," he said.

Speaking from his hideout in Turkey, Amiri says he initially went into hiding in one of his family's homes in the country. Once he learned that IRGC elements were tracking him and placed a surveillance van outside his home, he realized that he had to flee the country and flew to Turkey from Tehran.

On January 8, following the call of exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, Amiri was among the organizers of protests in his hometown Sari, the capital of Mazandaran province, in northern Iran. "This was the only uprising that I was in Mazandaran province. In previous uprisings I was in Tehran. We wanted to make sure that every province was involved, because this time was different," Amiri said in an exclusive interview with "On the Record."

"I was shocked by the number of people who took to the streets, chanting 'long live the Shah' and 'this is the final battle.' Taking videos and filming protests is forbidden. But you need some proof for history and the international media so they know what is going on," Amiri said.

Amiri described how he witnessed his friends killed around him as regime forces opened fire at the protesters. "I was scared. Because when you are filming, you are careless about the bullets flying around you. The fact that I'm alive is a miracle," he says. 

Remarking on the recent military operations by US and Israeli forces, Amiri said he supports military action against the Islamic regime. "I'm in support in the general aspect of the war, especially what the Israelis are doing. Precision attacks. I like the Israeli style more than the American style, especially the rhetoric of President Donald Trump, I don't like it," Amiri said.

"When Trump talks about taking out the civilization, this rhetoric is unnecessary. He must be careful of his words. To a certain extent, it's an insult to the Iranian people who gave their lives in tens of thousands for their country and for the liberation of not just Iran but of the entire Middle East from this barbaric, totalitarian, terrorist theocracy."

"It's a humanitarian intervention," Amiri said in describing the US and Israeli military attacks on Iran. "The Iranian people in the streets chanted for humanitarian intervention from our allies and friends. They promised us, President Trump promised to intervene if the regime killed the people. The regime killed the people, so he intervened and kept his promise, and that's why the Iranian people are thankful of President Trump for doing that, and they are thankful of Bibi (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) for doing that," Amiri said.

However, the Iranian activist said stated that the job isn't done yet, questioning Trump's claim that Iran has already witnessed regime change, despite many in the leadership still breathing. "Is this a regime change, when the heads of all three branches of the regime are intact?" Amiri said. "If he is helping us, he must do it in the right way."

Watch the full interview: 

When asked if Iranians will return to the streets once the war is over, whether through an agreement now or after another round of fighting, in a manner that can overthrow the regime, knowing what deadly brutality they are going to face, Amiri said that Iranians are currently organizing themselves to take to the streets again, only this time will be different.

"We have one leader, and that is Reza Shah Pahlavi. He is not just my leader, but of millions of Iranians who took to the streets on January 8 and 9. He is the organizer and actual mobilizer. The Iranian people are waiting for the next call to protest by the Shah of Iran. They are getting prepared for the next uprising. But this time will be much different, because the last time Iranian people came in millions, without being armed. This time, it will be different. I'm not going to give you details what we are exactly doing, but there is mobilization," Amiri said.