As images of mass protests and violent crackdowns continue to emerge from Iran, Iranian-American journalist and women’s rights activist Masih Alinejad says the world is witnessing not only a popular uprising, but a defining moral test for Western leaders - "this is our Berlin wall," she states in an interview with The Jerusalem Post.
“When I see pictures of lifeless bodies stacked on top of each other, my heart is pounding,” Alinejad said in an emotional conversation. “But what makes me furious is not only the pain—it’s the silence outside Iran.”
Alinejad described a grim ritual familiar to millions of Iranians living abroad: zooming in on photographs of the dead, searching for the faces of family members. With internet blackouts imposed by Tehran, she said, exile itself has become a form of psychological torture. “We don’t know if our families are alive or dead. This is deliberate cruelty.”
Despite mass killings and what she described as an unfolding massacre, Alinejad said the protests continue night after night across Iran. “People are fed up. They see the Islamic Republic as ISIS in power,” she said. “They know the price is high, but they are paying it anyway.”
She dismissed the idea that fear would force protesters off the streets. On the contrary, she said, the regime’s violence has hardened public resolve. “Every night, every day, people go back. Millions. That is bravery.”
Alinejad was sharply critical of Europe’s response, accusing European governments of hiding behind statements of concern while maintaining diplomatic and economic ties with Tehran. “Enough condemnations,” she said. “Kick out the ambassadors. Shut down the embassies.” She noted that while Iranian protesters are killed at home, the children of regime officials live comfortably in Europe and the United States.
Her criticism extended to Western political movements that, she said, have either remained silent or echoed Tehran’s talking points. “They accuse Iranians of being part of a foreign plot,” she said. “That is repeating the regime’s narrative—and it signs the death warrant of innocent protesters.”
Iran’s brutality is not confined to its borders
Alinejad, who fled Iran in 2009, pointed to six major waves of protests since she left the country, calling the current uprising “the final chapter.” “This is the will of the people,” she said. “Europeans and other leaders should learn courage from Iranians.”
She also warned that Iran’s brutality is not confined to its borders. “The Islamic Republic is not just a threat to Iranians,” Alinejad said. “It is a threat to the region and to global security.”
Alinejad’s call for action was explicit. She urged President Trump to take targeted measures against Iran’s leadership and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, pointing to the killing of Qassem Soleimani as proof that decisive action is possible. “When Soleimani was removed, Iranian people celebrated,” she said. “So I ask: how many innocent people must be killed before leaders keep their promises? Kill Khamenei.”
She also pointed a finger at Prime Minister Netanyahu. “You said you stand with the Iranian people. How many times did you publish videos in which you stated 'we support you',” she said. “Where are you now, when people are being slaughtered hour by hour?”
Negotiations with Tehran at this moment, Alinejad argued, would be disastrous. “Negotiating now allows mass arrests to turn into mass executions,” she warned. “It is a death sentence for teenagers in Iran.”
Alinejad survived Iranian assassination attempts
Her urgency is deeply personal. Alinejad, now a US citizen, has survived multiple assassination and kidnapping plots linked to the Iranian regime, including an attempted abduction from her New York home in 2021 and two other assassination efforts on American soil. “This is not an internal matter,” she said. “I am living proof.”
She recalled seeing a hired assassin outside her Brooklyn home, armed with an automatic weapon. “The same regime that sends terrorists after world leaders sent killers after me—for campaigning against compulsory hijab,” she said.
As Iran’s leadership continues issuing threats and promising “no mercy,” Alinejad said history will judge those who had the power to act but chose restraint. “If the world fails now,” she said, “it will face this terror on its own streets later.”
Alinejad ended the interview with the dream of her and others to return to Iran. "I want to hug the teenagers in Iran. The brave people. They are protecting the values of the free world. This is not a protest anymore. This is a revolution".