Warning: This story contains details which some readers might find distressing.
An Iranian woman who witnessed the bloody crackdown on protests in Iran has described how her neighborhood turned into a war zone as security forces opened fire at crowds with live ammunition.
A government-imposed internet blackout in Iran, now in its third week, has prevented many accounts of what has happened from reaching the wider world.
But some Iranians who have left the country have been able to share what they have seen.
Parnia, who lives in London, told the BBC that she was visiting her family in the central city of Isfahan when the protests broke out in the capital, Tehran. They quickly spread across the country, and within days there were hundreds of protesters in the Hakim Nezami and Khaghani neighborhoods of Isfahan.
There were women and men from seven to 70 years old, she said. On just one street there were 200 to 300 people. People were chanting 'Death to the dictator' and 'Long live the shah'...
Isfahan has seen protests and crackdowns down the years. But Parnia said she had never seen anything like what happened during the recent unrest, which was sparked by anger over the collapse of the Iranian currency.
First, security forces fired tear gas at the protesters, she said. Then they formed a line and fired birdshot.
I saw people getting shot and falling down, and I saw blood on the street.
Parnia said she ran away down alleyways and was suddenly pulled into an apartment block by a woman. Inside, she said, were many injured protesters.
Videos verified by the BBC from that night show large numbers of people in the streets in Isfahan. Some streets were blocked by traffic sign poles and large metal sheets, in an apparent effort by protesters to protect themselves from gunfire.
On Friday morning, 9 January, Khamenei said Iran would not back down from dealing with what he called destructive elements, a day after US President Donald Trump had threatened to hit Iran very hard if authorities started killing people.
Despite the risks, Parnia went out to protest again on Friday evening.
Footage obtained by the BBC from the previous day shows large crowds on main streets in Parnia's neighborhood. But she said on Friday it was different.
Parnia also described a scene of total chaos at a local clinic that was treating wounded protesters. No phone lines were working. Nobody could call their families, and many refused to go to hospitals, fearing they could be arrested there, she said.
Parnia left Isfahan that day and travelled to Tehran to catch a flight back to London, learning later from her friends that the injury toll was significant.
While Iranian authorities claim around 3,000 people were killed during the protests, US-based human rights group HRANA has confirmed more than 4,600 deaths, signaling a crisis that has escalated steadily amidst governmental oppression.
