Mariam Claren, a German‑Iranian human‑rights activist, has expressed deep disappointment with Germany, Europe, and the United States in light of the mass killings sweeping Iran over the past week. The news, arriving in thin shards from inside the country, has confirmed the worst expectations.
“The voices coming from Iran are unanimous: it is far worse than you think” said the daughter of German‑Iranian architect Nahid Taghavi-who spent four years incarcerated in Tehran’s Evin prison-according to Sunday editions of newspapers in the Funke media group.
Claren has been receiving direct messages in recent days, describing conditions that resemble war. She reports random shootings on the street and even at people’s front doors. “They move from house to house, arrest everyone who has participated. In one instance, they didn’t arrest anyone but shot at the front door” she quoted a contact from Iran. Because of the danger, many people refuse to leave their homes. Streets are described as militarised, almost as if the military dominates the city. One source said, “We fear being shot while shopping”.
Amid this climate, the silence of the international community feels even more disheartening. Trump’s remark during the protests that “help is on the way” was dismissed by Claren as irresponsible. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, also a CDU figure, declared that the regime is doomed-a statement Claren calls a hollow platitude. She also criticised the conduct of Italy, France, and Spain for blocking an EU terror designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the group responsible for Iran’s brutal suppression.
Reports of U.S. warships heading toward Iranian waters raised the alert level even further. “Has any of the decision‑makers considered what this cat‑and‑mouse game does to the Iranian people? We do not know what the near future holds, nor whose geopolitical interests will prevail, but one thing is clear: No one in the West cares about the Iranian people and their right to freedom”.
