Nazanin Boniadi

For the sake of a free Iran, a stable region and a world at peace—as we urge restraint and adherence to international law—we must also ensure the sovereignty of the Iranian people, not their oppressors. My essay for @TIME

#Sabzevar, Iran: protesters are chanting: “Only on the streets, will we reclaim our rights.” All eyes on which Iranian city will follow.

“Water, electricity, life — are our fundamental rights.” – Protest by the people of Sabzevar, Iran, against the water and power outage crisis.

A moment of joy: erased. Iran’s women’s basketball team danced in celebration. The Islamic regime pressured for the video’s removal—because women’s joy and bodies are seen as threats. Players were forced to salute the anthem to avoid suspension. This isn’t sport. It’s oppression.

The UK Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee has “warned that the Islamic republic has become a ‘full spectrum’ threat across assassinations, espionage, cyber-attacks and nuclear weapons.” politico.eu/article/iran-k…

The 12-day war can be game changing, only if it leads to a sustainable political change. No bomb can dismantle Iran’s machinery of repression. No airstrike can uproot its indoctrinated global networks. But a credible political opening — backed by conditions, pressure, and robust…

Heard in a closed-door policy discussion: “I’m sorry for the Iranian people, but we need this regime to stay. Otherwise there will be chaos—and no nuclear deal. That has to be our priority.” This reflects a troubling pattern: addressing symptoms—like nuclear brinkmanship—while…

For a people no longer under falling bombs, the fire has not ceased. It burns now in the form of repression—deeper, quieter, more brutal than ever. A poem against war—in ALL its forms. By the brilliant Iranian poet Mahzad Razi. Translated by me.

New protest song by courageous Iranian dissident rap artist @OfficialToomaj. زنده باد قهرمان

The American public doesn’t benefit from propaganda dressed up as dialogue. Giving a platform to a known authoritarian with no mechanisms for accountability or truth-telling isn’t transparency—it’s complicity. Here are some facts: • The Islamic Republic is not a misunderstood…

“They call a war that is unnecessary, predictable, and born of Khamenei's foolish slogans and threats an imposed war, they label the killing of most commanders and the destruction of much of the nuclear and military structure as victory, and they call the absence and profound…

Political prisoner Manouchehr Bakhtiari has been on hunger strike for 5 days in Choobindar Prison, Qazvin, protesting denial of medical furlough and humiliating treatment by prison staff. #Iran #ManouchehrBakhtiari More in HRANA’s report here: ow.ly/OWCA50Wl5QQ

“The same sun that shines on Iranian homes shines on Afghan homes too.” Yes, sweet girl, you are right. And I’m horrified that you are being treated with anything less than the dignity you deserve. @Refugees

More than 1,300 activists, artists, and journalists from both Iran and Afghanistan have signed an open letter addressed to the Islamic Republic, calling for an immediate halt to the mass deportation of Afghans, which has intensified following the Israel war.…

Today, Zhino Beigzadeh Babamiri announced on her X (formerly Twitter) account that the death sentence of her father, Rezgar Beigzadeh Babamiri, a Kurdish political prisoner, has been upheld. Mr. Babamiri, a 46-year-old farmer from Bukan, was arrested in connection with the…

Authoritarians don’t argue—they intimidate. They replace dialogue with stigma, debate with fear. Ad hominem is not strength—it’s the refuge of the visionless and unpersuasive. It has no place in the fight for democracy.

🚨 “New message from Ahmad Ronaghi, father of dissidents Hossein and Hassan Ronaghi, about committing self-immolation if he does not receive news of his abducted children. Please be the voice of this family.”

French citizens Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris have been charged by the Islamic Republic with spying for Israel, Cécile’s sister Noémie tells me. After yesterday’s consular visit, the family learned of the charges today. They’re deeply worried and know little more.

فرزندانم! علی خامنه ای وقتی شکست می خوره از بچه های ما انتقام می گیره! این ضحاکه، مازدوشه! علی خامنه ای! گفته بودم که این صندلی ات رو روی خون بچه های ما گذاشتی، این خون بچه های ما طغیان کرده، این خون دامن گیر آنهایی که با تو هستند نیز خواهد شد. #زندانیان_سیاسی #بچه_های_اکباتان

Iran has arrested several European nationals in various provinces over allegations they were "in some way cooperating with Israel" and has opened cases against them, the judiciary’s spokesperson said on Monday.