‘This blood will come back to haunt you’ - family of Iranian student shot dead

Rabbina Arminian had grand designs for

her clothes, for her life. She was

studying fashion in Tehran, was planning

to move to Milan to open a boutique, and

going by her Instagram account. She was

a Clash fan.

On Thursday evening, the 23-year-old

left college for home, but met a group

of friends going to the anti-regime

demonstrations that night and decided to

accompany them.

According to her family, at some point

during the protests, the young woman was

shot in the head from close range and

died instantly.

>> Today, we spoke to Rabbina's aunt, Hali

Nuri, and her husband from Norway, where

they live.

for

Foreign

speech. Foreign speech. Foreign speech.

According to her family, Rabbina is one

of hundreds of demonstrators killed by

security forces since the demonstrations

began two weeks ago. An internet

blackout has meant the world is only now

being dripfed the horror.

>> Her shooting was just the start of the

torture for the family. The regime

refused them permission to bury her in

their hometown of Carman. They do this

to try to stop funerals becoming

platforms for protest. So the family

were forced to bury her in a different

town 4 hours drive away.

Unlike Rabbina's funeral, the funerals

of security personnel are broadcast on

state television used as a stage for

pro- regime support. The government has

declared three days of national

mourning. Also in Tran today,

demonstrations in support of Iran's

leaders. The regime can still mobilize

thousands.

This round of protests has become very

violent very quickly. As well as

hundreds of demonstrators killed,

Iranian media is reporting that over a

100 security personnel have also died.

Iran's foreign minister again blamed

foreign influence for the unrest and

described the protests as terrorist

operations. In response to Donald Trump

floating the idea of US military

intervention, he said this.

for

Sultani is 26, due to get married soon.

He was arrested at demonstrations near

Thran on Thursday evening. A relative of

his spoke to us from Germany today.

Samya told us that Iranian police

informed the family that he was due to

be executed on Wednesday.

This is a pivotal week for Iran. We'll

start to get a sense of whether the

momentum behind the anti-regime

demonstrations is continuing or not. The

chilling effect of violent clampdown and

a communications blackout will also

become clearer. According to Rabbina

Amin's aunt, the reasons her niece took

to the streets though will stay the

same. This her message to Iran's

leadership.

The questions that will linger though,

what will Trump actually do next? What

stage are behind the scenes negotiations

at? Trump's stated red line was the mass

killing of protesters. That line was

passed days ago.

>> Porica Brian with that report. Well, the

White House has just been talking about

military options and the chance of

diplomacy. Let's go to our US editor,

Anushka Estana, outside the White House.

Anushka, what have they said?

>> Well, everyone is trying to find out

what the White House might do next. Last

night on Air Force One, Donald Trump was

very, very clear that there are military

options they're looking into. He

described them as strong military

options. He was asked, "Should Iran take

us seriously?" and he almost grumpily

replied, "Look at all the interventions

that I've done all over the world."

We've talked about this a lot, Matt. The

idea that the this administration,

despite sounding isolationist at the

start, has actually intervened all over

the place. You named a number of places,

strikes in Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia,

Syria, and more. So, yes, they should

take it seriously. We've heard from the

Iranian supreme leader about America as

well. He's actually talked about

deceitful actions of lawmakers here. He

actually posted in Russian language on X

saying that America needs to be careful

not to miscalculate. But as you said,

they are also trying to open diplomatic

routes of conversation. And Caroline

Levit, the press secretary here, spoke

about this within the past hour.

Diplomacy is always the first option for

the president. He's told all of you last

night that what you're hearing publicly

from the Iranian regime is quite

differently from the messages the

administration is receiving privately.

And I think the president has an

interest in exploring those messages. Uh

however, with that said, um the

president has shown he's unafraid to use

military options if and when he deems

necessary, and nobody knows that better

than Iran.

>> So every chance that they will

intervene, but it feels different to the

past where America was intervening to

spread democracy. It feels much more

with Donald Trump like they're looking

for strategic interests. What do Iran

want from America? Well, they want fewer

sanctions. What does America want from

Iran? Well, some people say to me there

are lots of strategic interests there

around security, but also this is a very

energyrich country if the politics goes

in a different direction. What people

will want to know is does Donald Trump

want regime change because we've seen in

Venezuela that that isn't where we've

ended up at the moment.

>> Indeed, Anushka, thank you very much

indeed there. Well, with more on the

internet blackout in Iran, here's

Kieran.

So, since 8:00 p.m. local time on

Thursday, Iran's internet has been shut

down. That's 87 million people

disconnected from each other and the

rest of the world. The third time the

regime has pulled the plug. They also

did it after protests in 2019 and 2022.

But it's a selective blackout because

Iran's supreme leader Ayatah Ali has

been prolific on X for example for the

benefit of a foreign audience mind since

Iranians clearly can't see these posts

now as in 2022 Iranians found a way

around the shutdown turning to Elon

Musk's SpaceX Starlink network. That's

thousands of satellites in low orbit

providing internet services to remote

areas. And to access it, you need a user

terminal. But the Iranian authorities

have made it illegal to connect to

Starink. So using these devices is

highly dangerous in a regime which

punishes descent with death. And yet

Iranian officials have said they believe

there are tens of thousands of Starlink

terminals across Iran. The majority of

information protesters are getting out

of Iran since Thursday night is being

transmitted via Starlink, it's thought.

But there are reports the regime has

even managed to disrupt Starlink,

causing severe connection issues for

users in Iran. Now, that's something the

Russian military has long been involved

with in Ukraine, for example, where it's

in something of a technological race

with Starlink for the upper hand and

where it's known to deploy trucks that

use radio noise to disrupt satellite

signals. Now, President Trump weighed in

on Iran's blackout yesterday, saying he

plans to speak to Elon Musk about

restoring internet access in Iran. Matt

Thanks Graeme. Well, joining me now from

Washington is Cosro Isahani, a senior

analyst for the National Union for

Democracy in Iran. U thanks very much

for coming on the program. I mean

there's an awful lot of brutality on the

streets thanks to the regime and we are

getting reports unconfirmed is it that

some people are now deciding not to risk

their lives and go on the streets. Is

the regime and its brutality winning the

day?

What has come as a surprise to many

observers of Iran developments is that

the Iranian people's courage is not

subduing after this wave of violence. I

personally have been involved with

cycles of protests in Iran since 2009. I

lived in that country and was on the

front lines of every cycle of protests.

In every cycle we were we were beaten,

we were killed, we were arrested, we

were tortured, we were raped, we were

jailed. But we have returned to the

streets. But this time there is one more

element. People have found a leader who

they are rallying behind and they are

not giving up. They are not relenting.

As I walked into this studio, I was

reviewing testimonies that we received

from Tehran. The person was telling me

that every single Iranian that you talk

with right now has at least lost one

loved one to the regime's brutality. In

the past, it was only arrest. The other

day, they were dumping dead bodies in

front of families and telling them,

"Search between them. Find yours." as in

find the body of your love.

>> Okay. Now, so you Okay, let me let me

just interrupt there. You mentioned one

person in particular. You are referring

to Raza Palvi, the you know the man who

would be crown prince uh the son of the

late Sha who has been mentioned on the

streets of Tehran. But is he really

going to lead or could he lead the

opposition? Could he unify the country

behind him? And is there any chance at

all of him coming back to Iran to lead

even a transitional government?

He has not been mentioned on the

streets. People unified are chanting his

name. There is this running joke in the

country that those who want a republic

are chanting that supreme leader harmony

how lauder because pahi is returning.

People are united behind him because for

four decades he has had a unified

uniform message unchanged principled

unrivaled. This man has stepped forward

to lead Iran during the transition

period. He already has gone on the

record saying that he is ready to go

back to Iran and lead the country during

the

>> right. So, so you know the American

governor has had beef with the Iranian

government for decades since the

revolution and until recently there has

been no or very little contact with your

man Raza Pali. Has that now changed? I

mean, is is the administration, the

Trump administration talking to you and

him?

>> One, uh, the United States doesn't have

beef with the Islamic Republic. We are

dealing with a terrorist state that has

claimed thousands of lives beyond the

borders of Iran. How many British

citizens have been arrested by this?

>> But let me let me let me press you

specifically about the Trump government

administration and Raza Pal. Are they

talking on a daily basis? Is there a

plan in place to put him into power

should the regime collapse?

>> I'm not going to dulge about private

communications whether they have

happened or not. The crown prince and

the administration in Washington are

going to announce them when they

announce them.

>> Right. Just in one line. Do you want

Trump to bomb? Yes or no?

Iranians are on the streets with signs

saying Trump help. Two words, Trump

help. That's very clear what people in

the country want. Okay. Bombing,

whatever you want to call it, we need

help. Kahani,

>> thank you very much indeed.

>> Thank you.