By Soroush Pakzad, BBC

An Iranian woman who witnessed the bloody crackdown on protests in Iran has described how her neighbourhood 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 neighbourhoods 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'." The "dictator" was Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the shah a reference to Iran's late last monarch, overthrown in the 1979 Islamic revolution, and his son, the exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi.

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.

"I saw the lobby floor covered in blood, and I saw a girl whose leg was full of pellets."

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.

Footage also showed protesters breaking through the gates of the building of the national broadcaster Irib, which was later set on fire.

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.

Following Khamenei's speech, the powerful Revolutionary Guards sent a text message to people across Iran, telling them to avoid gatherings on streets in areas of unrest. The messages also warned against co-operating with what it described as "terrorist mercenaries" - an act it said would constitute treason.

Despite the risks, Parnia went out to protest again on Friday evening.

"The protesters were hopeful," she said. "You could see fear on everyone's faces. We were afraid to pass in front of the security forces and come closer together," she said.

"We thought even if we get killed, it would be a reason for Trump to act faster."

Footage obtained by the BBC from the previous day shows large crowds on main streets in Parnia's neighbourhood. But she said on the Friday it was different >>>