The Islamic Republic has not crushed the Iranian people’s resolve. This war will not do so either | Azar Nafisi

2026-03-25 - 06:09

Life and freedom are integral to the Iranian spirit. Even amid these dark days, I have hope that the conflict could liberate my people What is a writer’s responsibility? I feel that it has always been to give voice to those who have been silenced and to keep people alive through recreating them in our imagination, time and time again. This is what I have in mind as the Iranian people live through their worst period of suffering in 47 years. Thousands are dead. Friends in Tehran hide in their homes, not able to go out for explosions and acid rain. Worst of all, they know that it is not just foreign bombs that threaten their lives. Their own government continues to patrol the streets with guns, beating people, arresting them, killing them. As told to Lucy Pasha-Robinson. Azar Nafisi is an Iranian-American writer and the author of Reading Lolita in Tehran, Read Dangerously, and other works Continue reading...