Encouraging the Return of Tehran’s Citizens To Support a Popular Uprising
“The people of Tehran should return, regroup, and prepare to play their role in the nation’s historic confrontation with tyranny.” That’s the message exiled Iranian opposition activist Iman Foroutan sent to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, thanking Israel for its work to take down the Islamic Republic and asking that Israel and the US call for residents of Tehran to take part in the uprising.
The following is Foroutan’s letter:
Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu,
As members of the Iranian opposition, we wish to extend our heartfelt gratitude for your recent remarks expressing solidarity with the Iranian people and your stated hope that Israel’s military actions will ultimately contribute to their liberation from the Islamic Republic. Your acknowledgment of our struggle and your unwavering stance against the regime’s nuclear and missile ambitions offer much-needed moral support to millions yearning for freedom.
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However, we are gravely concerned about a potential resurgence of one of the regime’s most brutal tactics: the summary execution of political prisoners. Reports from June 16 indicate that at least 15 prisoners may have been executed in Dizelabad Prison in Kermanshah. On June 17, we received troubling news that inmates at Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison were being segregated, raising fears that the regime may be preparing for a wave of executions behind closed doors.
See Iman Foroutan’s full letter here.
These concerns are amplified by the mass departure of Tehran’s residents following recent warnings—including those voiced by President Trump—urging evacuation of the city. While such caution is understandable in light of ongoing threats, the widespread exodus risks creating an environment in which the regime feels emboldened to commit atrocities away from public scrutiny.
Moreover, as you yourself have stated in multiple interviews, the ideal outcome of Israel’s operations would be the mobilization of the Iranian people to rise against their oppressors. For such a movement to succeed, Tehran—symbolically and strategically—must remain at the heart of civic resistance. A deserted capital undermines the very possibility of an organized and effective uprising from within.
Given that His Royal Highness Prince Reza Pahlavi, the most trusted and supported opposition leader inside and outside Iran, has called for the people of Iran to take their dissatisfactions and protests to the streets, we therefore respectfully urge you to coordinate with the US administration and other allies to deliver a clear, unified message as soon as the safety risk to the general population is diminished: that the people of Tehran should return, regroup, and prepare to play their role in the nation’s historic confrontation with tyranny.
The Islamic Republic is most vulnerable not when cities are emptied, but when they are filled with a defiant citizenry refusing to yield.
With deep respect, solidarity, and faith in the triumph of light over darkness,
Dr. Iman Foroutan
