For me, hell was not the moment Israel attacked; hell was the moment they wouldn't open the door [of the cell] for us, Motahareh Goonei recalls in an exclusive interview with the BBC.
A political activist, Goonei was in solitary confinement in Iran's notorious Evin Prison when it was hit in a targeted attack by Israel on 23 June.
Satellite imagery, witness accounts, and verified footage obtained by BBC News Persian reveal new details of the attack in the closing hours of the Israel-Iran war and of those who died.
The high-security complex, perched on the northern edge of Tehran, has held thousands of political prisoners over the past half-century. On that day in June, the prison became the site of the deadliest Israeli strike on Iranian soil in terms of civilian casualties.
Iranian authorities say 80 people were killed - among them prison staff, inmates, medical workers, visitors, and residents of nearby neighborhoods.
In a report published on 14 August, Human Rights Watch stated that Israeli air strikes on the prison were unlawfully indiscriminate and amounted to an apparent war crime.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed the facility was being used for intelligence operations against Israel.
Describing the moment explosions ripped through the compound, Goonei said: When I heard the third blast, I was certain there was no way out. I just pounded on the door with all my strength, but it wouldn't open. I thought 'this is the end of your life - say goodbye'.
Freed from her cell by another prisoner, Goonei stumbled into thick, choking smoke. She says that guards initially tried to block inmates from escaping, and some prison interrogators even threatened them.
Yet in scenes she described as horrific but humanising, prisoners rushed to help injured guards, calming a panicked female officer and bandaging the wounds of a crying interrogator.
Other inmates rushed to help doctors and nurses trapped in the prison clinic.
Several victims were confirmed to include Masoud Behbahani, a dual Iranian-American citizen, and Arvin Mohammadi, who was killed while trying to post bail for his father.
The IDF stated that the attack was a targeted strike against a symbol of oppression but has faced international scrutiny regarding the civilian toll.
As a stark reminder, the United Nations confirmed that Evin was not a military objective and highlighted violations of international humanitarian law throughout the incident.
