Tehran Resident: "It's Better if Israel Attacks, America Would Bring Total Destruction

Ali, a resident of Tehran, gave a candid interview describing life under Iran's Islamic Republic and offering a rare window into public sentiment on the Iranian street.

Ali described the regime's brutal suppression of its own citizens, claiming it has killed and mutilated over 40,000 people and wounded hundreds of thousands more. He said many of the wounded fear seeking medical care at hospitals due to the presence of regime-affiliated forces. More than 100,000 citizens have been arrested or face imminent arrest, he said. Ali noted the toll has touched his own family, a relative was killed on the streets of Tehran. On the renewed student protests in Tehran over the weekend, he said the regime is deploying brutal force, killing and abducting students to "strangle the protests in their cradle."

Asked whether he feared giving an interview to an Israeli radio station, Ali responded with resignation, quoting a Persian proverb: "Is there a color darker than black? Death is easier for me than the life I have. So if they take me and kill me for an interview, at least I'll rest, at least I won't feel hungry."

On the question of foreign intervention, Ali said Iranians are waiting "every minute and every second" for an attack that would bring down the regime. However, he drew a clear distinction between the U.S. and Israel: while many hope for American action, the preference on the street is for an Israeli strike. Ali attributed this to Israel's perceived military precision, as he said was demonstrated in Operation "Gideon's Chariots", which he said targets Revolutionary Guard operatives and regime leaders without harming ordinary civilians or economic infrastructure. An American attack, by contrast, is feared to bring "terrible destruction, like in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Ali also noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has become widely popular inside Iran, with people affectionately calling him "Bibi-Gol" meaning "Bibi the Flower" in Persian.

In a striking detail at the close of the interview, Ali revealed that he knows some Hebrew, around 10% of the language and signed off with "Shalom, I'm Ali." He explained that while English-language learning platforms cost money in Iran, Hebrew-learning platforms are left open and free. His explanation for the regime's policy: authorities hope that one day Iran will conquer Israel and want citizens fluent in the language, or alternatively, they intend to use Hebrew speakers as spies. "One day it will help you," regime officials reportedly tell citizens.