Videos emerging from Iran showing unarmed civilians hunted in the streets are as chilling as they are damning, and they confirm what brave observers have been warning for weeks: the Islamic Republic has resorted to hiring foreign fighters to crush dissent. Juliana Taimoorazy and other witnesses report Iraqi and Afghan militants deployed alongside the IRGC to patrol cities and open fire on peaceful demonstrators, a grotesque tactic meant to outsource repression and obscure blame. This is not a protest met with law enforcement — it is a calculated campaign of terror against a population demanding basic dignity.
Reliable reporting indicates these are not isolated mercenaries but elements tied to Iran-aligned militias and proxy networks, moved into urban centers to intimidate and kill. Eyewitness accounts and investigative pieces identify Iraqi Shia militias and other armed groups being recruited and funneled into Iran to bolster the regime’s security apparatus. When a government hires foreign thugs to gun down its own people, it reveals both the regime’s weakness and its criminal contempt for human life.
Independent analysts and think tanks have documented the use of snipers, live ammunition, and organized militia command structures directing lethal force against demonstrators, painting a grim picture of state-sponsored murder. The IRGC’s involvement alongside militias shows this is a regime-level decision, not the work of rogue officers — and that always changes the moral calculus for how the free world should respond. Those who still appease Tehran should look closely at this footage and ask themselves whether tolerating such brutality serves any American interest.
For conservatives who value liberty and human dignity, the choice is clear: speak loudly for the victims, and push for immediate measures to punish those responsible. The international community must prepare targeted sanctions, asset freezes, and travel bans on commanders and militia leaders who have facilitated murder, and policymakers should follow the evidence to its source. Weakness and delay will only embolden Tehran and its proxies to escalate; principled firmness is what deters tyrants.
This moment should also be a wake-up call about the costs of tolerating autocratic networks that export violence across borders. When Iran can dispatch militias into neighboring countries and use them to terrorize civilians, the whole region grows more dangerous and chaotic, and global stability pays the price. It is long past time for Western leaders to recognize that appeasement funds cruelty, while decisive action defends freedom.
We must stand with the brave Iranians risking everything in the streets and refuse to let their cries be muffled by diplomatic jargon or geopolitical complacency. The duty of people of conscience everywhere is to demand accountability, support independent media exposing these crimes, and urge elected leaders to act with moral clarity. History will judge those who watched these videos in silence and those who chose to stand on the side of liberty.
