I’m originally from Iran. After living the life of a digital nomad, I settled in Brazil around 11 years ago. But, a fair chunk of my family, aunts and uncles, still lives in Iran. Mostly, but not only, in Tehran.
I spoke to my aunt two days ago, using Telegram. So far, my family, and pretty much everyone else, have barricaded themselves in their homes. Bombs are falling, and notwithstanding Israeli claims of surgical precision and only attacking military targets (as if that’s sufficient justification for their actions), Iranian civilians are murdered left right and centre.
Internet connectivity, always under some control by the Islamic state, is now less reliable than ever.
Few Iranians, inside and outside the country, appreciate the theocratic dictatorship. But, a clever manipulation by the religious dictator Khomeini in the early 1980s, coupled with a devastating war between Iran and a US-backed Iraq resulted, at least initially, in a very strict and repressive theocracy. That said, there’s a kind of silent agreement between the state and the people that, as long as you keep any subversion to yourself, the state will leave you alone. Mostly.
Over the past few decades, this has escalated on occasion, most recently with the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, which saw serious clashes between the state and a younger generation, triggered by the death, perhaps murder, of a young woman in police custody. Nevertheless, though this latest of standoffs by no means has been resolved, many, particularly young, women, now walk the streets without covering their hair, something that, technically, is illegal, yet is accepted by the state and its enforcers as another step in a slowly shifting compromise in favour of moderation and liberation.
Perhaps you are aware that, before the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iran tolerated much more liberal behaviour. The king which the United States reinstated to the throne after the US and the UK removed a democratically elected prime minister was very much oriented to the west, but also was a repressive autocrat, imprisoning thousands of political prisoners, while responsible for the killing of hundreds. Then again, looking back, and considering more recent autocrats and dictators in both the Middle East and Latin America, this is hardly still shocking.
The son of the last shah, exiled together with his parents, now living in the US, and close pals with the Zionist state, Israel, has been making overtures for decades to facilitate a return to democracy for Iran.
Now, with the genocidal Israeli state having expanded its bellicose focus to Iran, using discredited claims as its justification to murder hundreds, if not thousands of civilians, the shah’s son, and warhawks the world over, see an opportunity to finally submit Iran to western hegemony.
Instead of condemning Israel for yet another round of unprovoked and disproportional murder, European politicians and the G7 all state that it is Iran that is a destabilising force, and that Iran needs to be prevented, at all costs, from obtaining a nuclear bomb.
All, the US in the front, ignore that it’s Israel which is the destabilising factor: it’s Israel which is the nuclear power in the Middle East. It’s Israel which bombs Lebanon, Yemen, and Iran. It’s Israel which is in the process of systematically murdering the people of Palestine, and it’s Israel which is occupying parts of Syria, destroying the homes of people living too close to the illegally constructed military bases on Syrian soil.
Meanwhile, Germany refuels Israeli jets above Iraq, the UK has sent fighter jets, and the US has sent bombers to the region, while Germany’s chancellor has admitted that he’s thankful that Israel is doing Europe’s ‘dirty work’.
All this, while the US spy agencies as recently as March this year went on the record to say that Iran is not pursuing the creation of a nuclear bomb, and has not, at least since 2003, invalidating the central claim of the war criminal Netanyahu and the European and American sycophants that follow in his wake.
Netanyahu is a poker player. Whenever he stands to lose, he ups the ante. And this week, he felt sure enough that he could widen his wars to include Iran, expecting the US will follow, while continuing to murder Palestinians, in their homes, and when receiving food aid for the Israel-imposed famine that rages through the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu might have bitten off more than he can chew. Iran, beyond a doubt, is the genocidal’s regime most formidable opponent, yet. However, Iran’s military might still does not compare to Israel’s, let alone to that of the US. If an Iranian strike manages to inflict serious damage on Israel, which could happen, the consequences for Iran will be dire, the US likely using exactly that to justify entering the conflict, if they, by that time, haven’t already done so.
The end result, years down the line, might be yet another failed state in the Middle East at the hands of the United States, or, if we’re lucky in terms of lives lost, a western-oriented puppet state, with someone like the son of the lash shah at the helm, even though his excuse for a leader is himself deeply unpopular in Iran.
Tehran is a modern city of some 10 million people. The snow-capped Alborz mountains loom over the city from the north, its ascending valleys providing popular getaways during weekends. Tehran is a sprawling, fast-paced metropolis of 10 million, blending modernity with tradition at the foot of the imposing snow-capped Alborz Mountains. Its skyline is dotted with sleek high-rises, while the city boasts a vibrant tech scene, luxury malls, upscale cafes, and a dynamic arts culture, all coexisting alongside bustling bazaars and historic mosques. Contrary to how Iran in general, and Tehran in particular, is portrayed in the west, the city, when not bombed by Israel, pulses with youthful energy and innovation, making it one of the most modern cities in the Middle East.
Both Trump and Netanyahu’s henchmen have now posted, on social media, that Iranians should evacuate Tehran. The absurdity of such orders, coupled with the impossibility of, in the spur of the moment, displacing a population which compares in size to that of the city of São Paulo, has so far meant that some of the roads leaving Tehran see thousands of Tehranis leaving the city for, what they perceive, are safer spaces.
But, can you really escape from a collective of genocidal mad men?
When will I hear from my family again? My apprehension and uncertainty won’t be settled until the war criminal Netanyahu has either won, or lost, his poker game
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