'We Here Are The Living Dead': Israeli Undercover Video Punches Through Iranian Propaganda

As tensions between Iran and Israel escalates, a Tel Aviv media house has broadcasted an undercover video that shows frustrated Iranians talking about their collapsing economy, poverty and drug abuse.

The video was allegedly captured by an Iranian dissident who claims he did it out of a feeling of "revenge" against the regime.

The video was aired Sunday by Channel 12 and is the first part of a series. This was the first time Israeli media had captured glimpses of Iran since the ayatollahs took power in 1979, reported The Times Of Israel.

The report added that the dissident, whose identity remains concealed, took to Iranian streets with the hidden camera to capture daily life. The identity of the people he interviewed too is hidden, faces blurred, and voices disguised to prevent identification.

"To our sorrow, we don’t have independence here, there’s no freedom, no democracy, and no normal life. There is dictatorship, theft, and crime. I know what I’m doing, and it’s definitely very dangerous," the dissident said in the video. He added that he was aware of the consequences, but "you have to stand and fight, and not give up." He also expressed hope that Iran will be freed from the dictators soon.

The video touched upon soaring inflation and the high cost of living, caused by international sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program and government policies.

He moves around one of Tehran's main shopping areas to gauge public sentiment in the crowded alleys packed with shoppers and storefronts. There he interviews a shopkeeper who tells him that a "set of dishes he sold for 6 million rials ($141.84) four years ago now costs 40 million ($945)."

"A satisfied belly cannot understand a hungry one. The leaders live well in their ivory towers, but we here are the living dead. A person dies once and gets buried, but we are dying every day here," another resident was quoted by the report.

The report also touched upon rampant drug use and prostitution in the country, adding that in one of Tehran’s "drug streets," there were 2,000 to 3,000 users at a time.

"When I see young people that don’t have anywhere to go out, or to enjoy themselves, they go to smoke drugs to become happy. It’s all because of poverty, because of unemployment, and because of boredom," one resident told the cameraman. Channel 12 also carried expert quotes who said the use of opium was widespread in Iran, besides methamphetamine and heroin.

The report also showed sex workers hovering around "drug streets" who offered themselves to passing drivers for around $15. "My mother and father, both were addicted to drugs, and also my siblings. There’s no work in this country. Where can you find work? And in the end, when you find work, they want to sexually exploit you. Everyone wants to exploit you in Iran so I decided to choose [prostitution]," a sex worker was quoted in the report.