Iran’s uprising matters far beyond its borders

What we are witnessing is not a sudden eruption of anger, but a sustained national uprising rooted in years of corruption, brutality, and the systematic denial of the most basic human rights.

From here in Britain, we watch as Iranians face batons, bullets, mass arrests, and intimidation with bare hands and unbreakable determination. The regime has reportedly issued orders to suppress the uprising at any cost, resulting in the killing of protesters, including women and children. Yet people continue to return to the streets because, for many, there is nothing left to lose.

As an Iranian-born British politician, I feel both immense pride and profound responsibility. Pride in a nation that refuses to surrender its dignity, and a responsibility to ensure that its struggle is neither distorted nor exploited.

This is not an abstract concern for me. My husband, Vahid Beheshti, has spent more than three years campaigning outside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, calling on the British government to proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

For this, he has been subjected to direct threats, including a religious fatwa issued by the clerics of the Iranian regime. We live with constant security risks that remind us what the regime of the Islamic Republic is capable of, not only inside Iran, but far beyond its borders.

We are also witnessing deeply alarming reports of the Iranian regime’s attacks on medical facilities, including in Ilam Province. Armed security forces have reportedly entered hospitals, used tear gas inside medical wards, and intimidated injured protesters, patients, and medical staff. These actions constitute grave violations of international law, including the fundamental rights to life, health, and medical neutrality.

The same forces responsible for brutally killing and attacking Iranian women, men, and children - and for targeting doctors and nurses for doing their duty - are not confined to Iran. Through networks linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, individuals associated with this machinery of repression are able to move freely, raise funds, and exert influence here in the United Kingdom. This contradiction should trouble us deeply. A state that wages war on its own civilians should not be allowed to operate unchecked on British soil.

When Iranian protesters risk their lives, they are not fighting only for their own freedom. They are confronting a regime that exports instability, terrorism, and Islamist extremism across the Middle East, Europe, and beyond.

The consequences are felt on our streets, in our institutions, and among our youth here in the UK. The regime’s internal repression and its external aggression are inseparable. Supporting the Iranian people is not only a moral obligation; it is a matter of national and international security.

This is why the West must abandon complacency. Years of appeasement have emboldened the Iranian regime, allowing it to exploit diplomatic hesitation while expanding its influence networks and funding radicalisation under the guise of religion. Refusing to proscribe the IRGC, which is the regime’s primary tool of repression and terror, sends a dangerous signal of weakness.

At this critical moment, more than ten days into the uprising, there has been no public statement of support for the people of Iran from the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer. At a time when protesters are being killed, hospitals are being attacked, and a nation is demanding freedom, such silence sends a troubling message.

By contrast, firm and unambiguous signals of support for the Iranian people matter. Recent statements from President Trump warning the regime against mass killings and expressing support for the Iranian people have resonated strongly inside Iran. They offer hope, not because of rhetoric, but because the people of Iran can finally express their protest knowing full well that they have forces on the ground in their support.

For the first time in years, Iranians from different backgrounds are united in demanding an end to the Islamic Republic itself. Their call is not for reform, nor further negotiations, but a fundamental change towards a secular and democratic Iran, and the complete dismantlement of the Islamic Republic and its IRGC and Basij forces.

However, a genuine uprising such as this also opens the door to manipulation by political opportunists. The Iranian regime understands this well. While it unleashes lethal force at home, it simultaneously deploys a sophisticated propaganda machine abroad, promoting false narratives, misinformation, and regime-tolerated “alternatives” designed to fracture the movement and mislead international audiences.

This is a familiar tactic. When authoritarian regimes fear collapse, they attempt to control the transition by presenting “safe” options that divert attention from the collective will of the people. This is a trap, and one that many Iranians inside the country recognise more clearly than observers abroad.

The future of Iran cannot be imposed from outside, nor hijacked by opportunists. Any legitimate transition must be grounded in the rule of law, national sovereignty, and unity among democratic forces, under the careful observation of the international community to ensure a peaceful and democratic outcome.

Our responsibility is clear: to amplify the voices of those inside Iran, to resist regime-driven disinformation, and to respect the right of the Iranian people to choose their own future.

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Mattie Heaven is an Iranian-born British national, local councillor, and director of The International Organisation to Preserve Human Rights (IOPHR)

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