EXCLUSIVE: Sarvnaz Chitsaz told the Express that Iran's protesters were inspiring millions of people and that victory was theirs.

16:33, Wed, Jan 14, 2026 Updated: 16:34, Wed, Jan 14, 2026

IRAN

Protesters burn photos of Ali khamenei (Image: Getty)

Iranian rebels have told the Express that the day of reckoning for the country's religious rulers is fast approaching and that protesters cannot be stopped. The Middle Eastern country has been roiled by weeks of unrest that has shaken the very foundations of the Islamic Republic.

Initially sparked by anger over another depreciation of the national currency (rial) in relation to the US dollar, the protests have since become political and are posing the greatest threat in recent times to Iran's religious autocrats. Crowds have frequently been heard chanting slogans against the country's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. There are has also been an outbreak of support for Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's late former shah (king).

IRAN

Sarvnaz Chitsaz is a member of Iran's National Council of Resistance (Image: NCRI)

Protests have been confirmed in 187 cities and towns in all 31 of Iran's provinces since the start of the unrest, according to the US-based Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

The regime has responded with a brutal and vicious crackdown, gunning down demonstrators and reportedly killing over 2,000 people.

Iran's National Council of Resistance (NCRI) - a coalition of democratic opponents of the Tehran regime and founded in 1981 - told the Express that the "final battle" for freedom was now looming.

"The day of reckoning for the mullahs is fast approaching," Sarvnaz Chitsaz said. "Its strategic depth is gone: Hezbollah is crippled, Assad has fallen, and regional proxies are decimated. The economy has totally collapsed, with 42% inflation and the currency down 70%.

"Crucially, the people have crossed a threshold, they are fighting, not just protesting. By seizing buildings and disarming police in places like Quchan, Malekshahi, and Isfahan, they have wrestled territorial control from the state.

"The regime can massacre, but it can no longer govern or reform. Even if repression temporarily slows this wave, the awakening is irreversible."

The chair of the NCRI's Women's Committee said her organisation estimated there had been over 3,000 deaths as of January 11.

The figure is based on detailed investigations across 195 cities, drawing directly from local sources.

Maryam Rajavi - the NCRI's President-elect - condemned the killings, saying the brutal murders "shocked the conscience of modern humanity" and were not a sign of the regime's strength.

Ms Chitsaz heaped praise on the "heroic people" of her country for their determination to break free from the bonds of religious tyranny and said victory was theirs for the taking.

"Their courage, facing snipers and returning the next night, opening their doors to shelter strangers, women leading from the front shouting "have no fear!" has inspired millions," she added.

"Their slogan says it all: 'Death to the oppressor, be it Shah or Leader'. They rejected dictatorship in 1979, and they will not accept its return, in any form. This is the final battle."

It comes as the US withdrew military personnel from its Al-Udeid air base in Qatar on Wednesday, according to the US media outlet CBS News.

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