A 21-year-old Iranian law student has told how she lost her right eye after an undercover security officer smiled and then shot her in the face.

Muhadeseh Ranjekesh was blasted by the plainclothes officer in Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan Province, on 15th November, according to independent media.

Snaps show her right eye heavily swollen with dried blood underneath it, while her face appears pocked by what seem to be shotgun pellet marks.

And a video shows a defiant Muhadeseh smiling as she makes the V-for-victory sign with her hand and lies down with a protective cup covering her eye socket.

Muhadeseh is believed to have been making her way home from work when she was shot and it is not clear if she was involved in any street protests.

She wrote online: “The last image my right eye recorded was that person’s grin as he opened fire.”

She poignantly added: “My eyes were so beautiful, everyone said.”

The ongoing protests in Iran have killed at least 416 people, including 51 children, and injured at least 1,160, according to independent estimates.

It is also understood that more than 17,400 people have been arrested so far.