The brutal crackdown on protesters killing tens of thousands has been a "sledgehammer" to Iranians everywhere, said Dr. Meir Javedanfar, an Israeli-Iranian expert on the government led by Ayatollah Ali Khameini.

"The people of Iran have just gone through their own Babi Yar massacre," Javedanfar said on the Haaretz Podcast, referring to the largest single mass-killing during the Holocaust. "The Nazis killed 30,000 people in the space of two days. The Iranian regime – if we accept the 30,000 number – has done the same in less than a month. … The level of cruelty is unlike anything Iranians have seen before. The people of Iran are being massacred in unprecedented and historic numbers."

The killings in the decade-long Syrian civil war was a laboratory for Iranian techniques of repression, he said, noting that Iranian leaders were often "disappointed when Bashar al-Assad was not violent enough against the people of Syria when they rose up." In Syria, he said, the Iranians "honed their skills" of deadly repression and are now using them "against their own people on the streets of Iran."

On the question of whether a U.S. attack on Iran could be averted by a change of heart by the regime, bringing them to the negotiating table, Javedanfar said he sees no chance of concessions unless Khamenei believes that "the Americans could kill him and his family."

If the U.S. attacks and Iran retaliates against Israel, he noted, the Israeli military will quickly join in the attack. 

"If the Iranian regime makes a mistake of attacking us, we have very genuine targets in Iran to attack, especially Iran's missile program," Javedanfar said, adding "I also hope Israel targets regime officials who are taking part in the oppression and suppression of the people of Iran in such a violent manner, I think that would hold Israel in very good stead in future history books of Iran."

Read more: 

Some 30,000 Iranian Protesters May Have Been Killed in Two Days, Officials Reportedly Say

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UN Probe Condemns Iran Protest Deaths as Regime Provides Conflicting Casualty Reports

Iran Will Treat Any Attack as 'All-out War Against Us,' Says Senior Iran Official

Why the pro-Israel Right Is Suddenly Committed to Human Rights – for Iranians, Not Palestinians

The brutal crackdown on protesters killing tens of thousands has been a "sledgehammer" to Iranians everywhere, said Dr. Meir Javedanfar, an Israeli-Iranian expert on the government led by Ayatollah Ali Khameini.
"The people of Iran have just gone through their own Babi Yar massacre," Javedanfar said on the Haaretz Podcast, referring to the largest single mass-killing during the Holocaust. "The Nazis killed 30,000 people in the space of two days. The Iranian regime &ndash; if we accept the 30,000 number &ndash; has done the same in less than a month. &hellip; The level of cruelty is unlike anything Iranians have seen before. The people of Iran are being massacred in unprecedented and historic numbers."
The killings in the decade-long Syrian civil war was a laboratory for Iranian techniques of repression, he said, noting that Iranian leaders were often "disappointed when Bashar al-Assad was not violent enough against the people of Syria when they rose up." In Syria, he said, the Iranians "honed their skills" of deadly repression and are now using them "against their own people on the streets of Iran."
On the question of whether a U.S. attack on Iran could be averted by a change of heart by the regime, bringing them to the negotiating table, Javedanfar said he sees no chance of concessions unless Khamenei believes that "the Americans could kill him and his family."
If the U.S. attacks and Iran retaliates against Israel, he noted, the Israeli military will quickly join in the attack.&nbsp;
"If the Iranian regime makes a mistake of attacking us, we have very genuine targets in Iran to attack, especially Iran's missile program," Javedanfar said, adding "I also hope Israel targets regime officials who are taking part in the oppression and suppression of the people of Iran in such a violent manner, I think that would hold Israel in very good stead in future history books of Iran."
Read more:&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/iran/2026-01-25/ty-article/.premium/some-30-000-iranian-protesters-may-have-been-killed-in-two-days-officials-reportedly-say/0000019b-f437-d174-a3bf-fc3f07170000">Some 30,000 Iranian Protesters May Have Been Killed in Two Days, Officials Reportedly Say</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2026-01-24/ty-article/.premium/u-s-central-command-head-to-meet-with-israeli-defense-chiefs-ahead-of-possible-iran-hit/0000019b-efbb-d174-a3bf-efbbfe970000">U.S. Central Command Head to Coordinate With Israeli Defense Chiefs Ahead of Possible Iran Strike</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/2026-01-23/ty-article/maybe-we-wont-have-to-use-it-trump-says-armada-heading-toward-iran/0000019b-e942-deee-a9bf-e9e624240000">Trump Says 'Armada' Heading Toward Iran: 'Maybe We Won't Have to Use It'; Officials Confirm Warships en Route to Mideast</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/iran/2026-01-23/ty-article/un-probe-condemns-iran-protest-deaths-as-regime-provides-conflicting-death-tolls/0000019b-eb38-deee-a9bf-ebfe9d570000">UN Probe Condemns Iran Protest Deaths as Regime Provides Conflicting Casualty Reports</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2026-01-24/ty-article/.premium/iran-will-treat-any-attack-as-all-out-war-against-us-says-senior-iran-official/0000019b-f034-d174-a3bf-fc3c70550000">Iran Will Treat Any Attack as 'All-out War Against Us,' Says Senior Iran Official</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2026-01-21/ty-article/.premium/why-the-pro-israel-right-is-committed-to-human-rights-for-iranians-not-palestinians/0000019b-dc9e-d5cc-a9bf-ffde78dd0000">Why the pro-Israel Right Is Suddenly Committed to Human Rights &ndash; for Iranians, Not Palestinians</a>

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – a weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer.

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – a weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer.

Your audio guide to Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.

Haaretz Podcast

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – the Haaretz weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer. 

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – the Haaretz weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer.