[00:00:00] Iran Resistance Explained — Survival, Protest, and Hope 🔥🕊️

[00:00:00] Bruce Anthony: We're talking Iran and resistance with Zara. Ur, we gonna [00:00:05] get into it? Let's get it.

[00:00:10] [00:00:15]

[00:00:17] Welcome to Unsolicited Perspectives 🎙️✨📢

[00:00:17] Bruce Anthony: Welcome, first of all, welcome. [00:00:20] This is Unsolicited Perspectives. I'm your host, Bruce Anthony. Here to lead the conversation in important [00:00:25] events and topics that are shaping today's society. Join the conversation to follow us wherever you get your [00:00:30] audio podcast. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for our video podcast, YouTube exclusive content and our [00:00:35] YouTube membership.

[00:00:36] Bruce Anthony: Rate review, like, comment, share, share with [00:00:40] your friends, share with your family. Hell you can share with your enemies. On today's [00:00:45] episode,

[00:00:45] Meet Zahra Amanpour — Resistance, History, and Stakes 🧭🗣️⚖️

[00:00:45] Bruce Anthony: I'll be interviewing Zara Ur. She's a Iranian [00:00:50] freedom fighter. We're gonna be talking about Iran, the history, and this current [00:00:55] state, but that's enough of the intro.

[00:00:57] Bruce Anthony: Let's get to the show.

​

[00:01:07] Bruce Anthony: [00:01:00] [00:01:05] Today's conversation is one of those conversations that go [00:01:10] beyond headlines, beyond politics as usual and beyond borders, because [00:01:15] sometimes what's happening in another part of the world isn't just international news. It's a human [00:01:20] story, and human stories concern all of us. You've probably seen [00:01:25] flashes in the news about protests in Iran.

[00:01:27] Bruce Anthony: Mentions of crackdowns, internet [00:01:30] blackouts, arrest, and violence, but most coverage only gives you fragments. [00:01:35] It

[00:01:35] Beyond Headlines — The Human Reality Behind Iran News 📰➡️❤️

[00:01:43] Bruce Anthony: doesn't always give you the lived experience, the history underneath it, or the [00:01:40] voices of the people that's connected to it. Today, my guests are aur. [00:01:45] She was born during the Iranian revolution and raised within the [00:01:50] resistance movement. She's a daughter of a political prisoner who was killed during the [00:01:55] 1988 massacre, and her life has been shaped by firsthand experience with repression, [00:02:00] resistance, loss, faith, and resilience. Today, [00:02:05] she works to bring clarity and truth to what's happening inside Iran, not just as at a [00:02:10] policy level, but at a human level.

[00:02:13] Bruce Anthony: This isn't a geopolitical [00:02:15] conversation. This is a conversation about courage and about what it means when people risk their lives for [00:02:20] freedom and what happens when the world looks away and what happens [00:02:25] when people pay attention. We're going to talk about what daily life under [00:02:30] crackdown really looks like, why protests continue even under deadly risk, and how history [00:02:35] still lives inside families decades later, and what the Iranian people are actually [00:02:40] demanding.

[00:02:41] Bruce Anthony: For their future. Most importantly, we're gonna talk [00:02:45] about why this matters to all of us, not just as Americans, [00:02:50] but as human beings. Here's the interview.

[00:02:53] Bruce Anthony: Like I said at the top, [00:02:55] ladies and gentlemen, I'm here with our arm Andour and we're gonna be talking about something really [00:03:00] important that's going on in another country that we're kind of vaguely [00:03:05] familiar with, but don't really have a lot of details, and she is going to [00:03:10] fill in the blanks so that we become more informed about something that's going on that's very, [00:03:15] very important. So, sorry, I want to just. you for coming on the show [00:03:20] and talking about this subject that's very personal and near and dear to your [00:03:25] heart. And I know this is gonna be a good conversation that everybody can [00:03:30] learn from. So thank you so much for coming on the show.

[00:03:32] Zahra Amanpour: Thank for having me and, and thank you for this [00:03:35] platform. This conversation's not everywhere right now and it should be in more places and I, I [00:03:40] really appreciate.

[00:03:41] Bruce Anthony: Well, this is the place where we have conversations where it's not [00:03:45] everywhere, but it needs to be. Uh, so with that being said, you were born [00:03:50] during the Iranian revolution and raised in actually a resistance camp. [00:03:55]

[00:03:55] Zahra Amanpour: Yeah.

[00:03:55] Bruce Anthony: When you think about your earlier life, what moments or memories shaped how you [00:04:00] see power, fear, and [00:04:05] survival?

[00:04:06] Fear, Loss, and the Death of a Father 💔⚰️🔥

[00:04:06] Zahra Amanpour: Yeah, I mean, it's a, it's a huge question. [00:04:10] But I think. When I think about resistance, which has been with [00:04:15] me my whole life, I was born into it and it stays with me to this day. [00:04:20] I think. Where does the power really come from? Why can such a small group of [00:04:25] people hold so much power over such a richer, [00:04:30] more, more, uh, grand entity like the Iranian government?[00:04:35]

[00:04:35] Zahra Amanpour: And I think. One of the things that always has stood out to me is [00:04:40] the idea that when you're sure about what you're doing and you're steadfast in what you're [00:04:45] doing there comes this element of peace and, and a [00:04:50] actually a lot. And it's, this goes kind of counter to what people think about it. Uh, a lot of [00:04:55] joy.

[00:04:55] Zahra Amanpour: In, in the moments, in the day-to-day in the [00:05:00] connection with your people in the connection with your bigger uh, [00:05:05] uh, uh, hope and vision for what you're going after. And I think [00:05:10] being able to create that connection and being able to create that [00:05:15] power through uh, clarity [00:05:20] and through. Joy with one another and joy in, in the [00:05:25] idea of hope, I think gives you power and gives you power over a much [00:05:30] greater.

[00:05:30] Zahra Amanpour: Strong, what on the surface might seem to be a much greater, stronger force [00:05:35] than what you are. And I think this has been true to all resistance movements, is how do you, how do you [00:05:40] hold your power despite everything working against you? And I think that's something, [00:05:45] that really comes in actually. The exact opposite of what people think of when they [00:05:50] think of resistance movement.

[00:05:51] Zahra Amanpour: They may think of sadness, they may think of isolation, they may think of all of these [00:05:55] other things, but in fact, there's such solidarity and joy there that you, you, you [00:06:00] come together.

[00:06:02] Fear, Courage, and the True Source of Strength 😨➡️💪🏽✨

[00:06:02] Zahra Amanpour: When you talk about fear, of [00:06:05] course fear is part of resistance, right? There's always the [00:06:10] fear of. Frankly, in my life, the fear of death was very real to [00:06:15] us.

[00:06:15] Zahra Amanpour: The fear of failure and, and sort of if we were taken out and, [00:06:20] and sort of these things were very real on a day-to-day basis for the people I was closest to and, and the people [00:06:25] around me and the fear of losing those who are closest to you. I, I, I [00:06:30] lost my father when I was eight years old to, to this re to this movement.

[00:06:34] Zahra Amanpour: [00:06:35] So those things are very real, but at the same time, that is [00:06:40] what. There's certain emotions that make us better and make us [00:06:45] stronger and make us the opposite. And again, it kind of works to the counter to what people [00:06:50] think. Fear is one of those emotions that you can either give into [00:06:55] and not have power with or you fight against and it makes you [00:07:00] more powerful and it makes you all the more resilient in what you're doing.

[00:07:04] Zahra Amanpour: And [00:07:05] I think. When you say that, you know, there's the, the phrase fearless. I [00:07:10] think that's where it comes from, is that when you're fearless, when you get to that point where you're fearless, [00:07:15] your, your ability to do amazing things and resist becomes all that more [00:07:20] powerful, and that's how you survive. I think that's, that's how you [00:07:25] survive.

[00:07:25] Zahra Amanpour: You survive by tapping into those best parts of [00:07:30] yourself and the best parts of the people around you. And, and [00:07:35] keeping that hope always regardless of how hard it got in my life [00:07:40] and how real these things like death and [00:07:45] violence and persecution came close to, uh, my family, uh, and the [00:07:50] people around me, regardless of that, we were able to fight back and we were able to survive.

[00:07:54] Zahra Amanpour: [00:07:55] And that in itself gives you power too. So I think all of these [00:08:00] emotions and, and. Parts of life that are, [00:08:05] very difficult, very challenging. At the end of the day, if you're, if you know what you're doing [00:08:10] and you know why you're doing it, and you believe in what you're doing, they give you power.

[00:08:14] Bruce Anthony: That's what [00:08:15] I, I was just getting ready to make that point. It seems like from what. You're describing the [00:08:20] fearlessness comes from the belief and the cause and that [00:08:25] you know that you're right.

[00:08:27] Zahra Amanpour: Yes.

[00:08:28] Bruce Anthony: So you're willing to [00:08:30] risk whatever needs to be risked because know that [00:08:35] you're right and you know that it needs to be done. Was that an when? [00:08:40] [00:08:45] That live in this country don't know what it's like to be in a resistance camp. [00:08:50] And the only thing that they have to really go on is television. And television does [00:08:55] not give real depiction of. What real life is most of the time is [00:09:00] dramatized and things of this nature. So, so, so people are gonna see resistance and you say resistance and [00:09:05] hope.

[00:09:05] Bruce Anthony: And I'm not trivializing that they're gonna think Star Wars, right? They're gonna think, well, they were a [00:09:10] resistance and it didn't seem that bad. But no, what you're doing and what you were [00:09:15] experiencing was real life and death is something [00:09:20] that is possible every day living in this resistance camp.

[00:09:24] Zahra Amanpour: Yeah. [00:09:25] Yeah. I mean we had bomb shelters around our [00:09:30] school. We were trained how to go into them. We were, uh, when you came into the [00:09:35] camps. So, I, I just wanna be clear, I, I, I lived on this camp for a few years, uh, when I [00:09:40] was in middle school age. Mm-hmm. That's, so I, I fled Iran, came to the United [00:09:45] States, went back to the Middle East, so I had seen the United States at this point had seen a very [00:09:50] different sort of reality and, and all of that.

[00:09:52] Zahra Amanpour: And then went back and lived on this resistance [00:09:55] camp for a few years. Continued through school with them until I was in high [00:10:00] school.

[00:10:00] From Personal Story to Public Voice and Activism 🎤🧭✨

[00:10:00] Zahra Amanpour: So always in the movement, but in different settings. But when in the, in the camp [00:10:05] itself, yeah, it's a military. Situation. You, you [00:10:10] come in, your car is inspected, they have mirrors that check everything.[00:10:15]

[00:10:15] Zahra Amanpour: You know, the school bus was like that, right? They, they go through [00:10:20] everybody's, you know, they come onto the bus every, there's guard guarded [00:10:25] armed guards ev uh, at the, at the base around you. The school itself [00:10:30] was, as I said, had bomb shelters around it. We were trained how to take shelter [00:10:35] inside and outside of the school.

[00:10:37] Zahra Amanpour: And it was, it was a reality [00:10:40] of life that at any moment we had to be prepared for the worst case [00:10:45] scenario. But first of all, children are resilient. And then for [00:10:50] all the reasons I just described, humans can be very resilient too. [00:10:55] And somehow when things more is at stake, we tend to be at our [00:11:00] best. So even in that, within this resistance camp.

[00:11:04] Zahra Amanpour: Some [00:11:05] of my most fond memories are having meals together having events together, [00:11:10] celebrating together, playing a soccer match with my friends. Normal things were also [00:11:15] happening in this context. People were living, families were were coming together, [00:11:20] families were going through their motions. Life was happening in the midst of [00:11:25] this.

[00:11:25] Zahra Amanpour: Uh, so, you know, it, sometimes people see it as this very, like, [00:11:30] everything's, you know. Active military, this, but when people are actually living in this context, there's [00:11:35] all aspects of life that exist in on a military base. And there's all aspects of life [00:11:40] that exist in resistance, relationships, people, connections, [00:11:45] children, all the good and the bad and ugly that comes with all of that.

[00:11:48] Zahra Amanpour: All of that exists when you have a [00:11:50] community like this that comes together even in, in that kind of extreme circumstances. So [00:11:55] there's this, uh, contradiction almost between. What the reality is and [00:12:00] how that plays out actually on a day-to-day basis. You know, I went to school, I was a kid, I played, I [00:12:05] had friends.

[00:12:06] Zahra Amanpour: All of those things were there. And at the same time, we were very [00:12:10] cognizant of the fact that something could happen. And most of us had [00:12:15] lost someone very close to the struggle. Mm-hmm. And we [00:12:20] had that brought us closer together. We understood each other. We understood that sadness, we [00:12:25] understood that power.

[00:12:27] Zahra Amanpour: And we took pride in [00:12:30] being part of something bigger in a community like that together. So it had all these [00:12:35] different components and pieces to it, including being a military base [00:12:40] and, and being what that is.

[00:12:42] Bruce Anthony: So you're growing up in this, I, I didn't know that [00:12:45] you were, you fled, here in the States, then went back. That's an [00:12:50] experience. I wanna touch on that later. Okay. I wanna touch on that later, but I wanna get into [00:12:55] more of when you start to realize that [00:13:00] is no longer just your personal history and stop being that it was something that you were [00:13:05] now living. And when that transition to [00:13:10] you're living it, but now I'm going to actively speak about it.

[00:13:14] Zahra Amanpour: Yeah. [00:13:15] So this has been kind of a evolution for me. Mm-hmm. First of all, I, [00:13:20] I was born into it, right? So in many ways it wasn't kind [00:13:25] of a. As a child, it wasn't a choice to step into it. I was, [00:13:30] I was, I was on stages. I was speaking to, to, to people from the time I was very young about this. [00:13:35] I've always been a public speaker of sorts, so I was put in that [00:13:40] position, you know, if they wanted to hear a child's perspective, right?

[00:13:42] Zahra Amanpour: I've always spoken on behalf of the resistance, [00:13:45] so in that way I've always been in it, and of course we were completely immersed [00:13:50] in it as a family,

[00:13:50] What Headlines Miss About Daily Life in Iran 📰🚫👁️

[00:13:50] Zahra Amanpour: so everyone I knew and loved. The people I was [00:13:55] with at least most days were also in that world, so it wasn't much of a [00:14:00] choice as a child, it was a reality and one that unlike [00:14:05] what most people think, I wasn't in any shape or form a victim.

[00:14:07] Zahra Amanpour: I was very proud. Of [00:14:10] what I was doing, I was very proud of, of belonging to something so important [00:14:15] and being part of the future of my people, and trying to [00:14:20] move that in a, in a, in a good direction. When it became more of a [00:14:25] dilemma for me and more of a actual choice that I had to make was when I actually [00:14:30] started, when I was like te a teenager college and I was [00:14:35] trying to make a life.

[00:14:37] Zahra Amanpour: In the United States. I was trying to establish myself [00:14:40] as a, as first in school, then as a career person. [00:14:45] And it forced me at, at least at the very beginning to [00:14:50] compartmentalize these things in my life and say, okay, I have this part of, huge part of who I [00:14:55] am that I'm not gonna talk about on a daily basis because it's too heavy to talk to people.[00:15:00]

[00:15:00] Zahra Amanpour: Like, it's like not the first thing you say to somebody, you know, over a cup of coffee, right? Mm-hmm. [00:15:05] So it, it wasn't something that I could just casually sort of share about [00:15:10] myself. It, it, it would have, it had all kinds of directions that could go in if people knew this about me. [00:15:15] And as a young person, that was difficult to navigate and difficult to know what the right way of.[00:15:20]

[00:15:20] Zahra Amanpour: Of doing it. And on, on the flip side of that, I was still a very public facing [00:15:25] person within the movement. So I was like, on my nights and weekends and when I, there was a [00:15:30] protest, I was very, you know, public and outward facing. So there was stuff available [00:15:35] about me online and all of that. But in my work life and my daily life, I didn't bring it up.

[00:15:39] Zahra Amanpour: I didn't talk [00:15:40] about it. It wasn't part of it. I got [00:15:45] older, I started to more of life just as in general, started to become less compartmentalized. You know, [00:15:50] you become your more full person as you get older. Right. And I think at some point, [00:15:55] just like a mother, when I became a mother at some point I said, you know what, I'm not gonna stop.

[00:15:59] Zahra Amanpour: I'm gonna [00:16:00] stop pretending I don't have a personal life. I have a personal life. I've got kids, right? Mm-hmm. And I became more [00:16:05] comfortable with this idea of like. We all have different sides to us, and [00:16:10] anybody who actually wants to know me has to know this part of me too. Mm-hmm. And [00:16:15] how do I talk about it?

[00:16:16] Zahra Amanpour: How do I become more comfortable about it? How do I post a podcast on my [00:16:20] LinkedIn page? You know, like, how do I do these things? And I've just, now, now my world has become. [00:16:25] More full, more whole. And I think the people that are closest to me know me [00:16:30] move more fully because they don't know just one side of me.

[00:16:32] Zahra Amanpour: They know my more full self. So it's been a [00:16:35] evolution that's had stages, but how I let it in and didn't [00:16:40] let it in has changed over time.

​

[00:16:50] Bruce Anthony: [00:16:45] [00:16:50] Okay. All right, so let's get to what's going [00:16:55] on over in Iran. When people see headlines about [00:17:00] protests and crackdowns in Iran, what do they usually miss about what daily [00:17:05] life actually feels like for people on the ground?

[00:17:08] Zahra Amanpour: Yeah, I [00:17:10] think people in the West are used to not always, and there's [00:17:15] different, there's always exceptions to this in every society, but. There's [00:17:20] some rule of law and there's some norms that we [00:17:25] can exist in, even if those norms are not. [00:17:30] Equally distributed to all. Mm-hmm. There are certain things that we can count on or [00:17:35] whatever our place is, we can find it and we can navigate it to some extent.

[00:17:39] Zahra Amanpour: [00:17:40] Right, right. And I think that's called the rule of law. And you know, and it's upheld to [00:17:45] some extent to a greater, much greater extent in a [00:17:50] democracy in most Western countries, et cetera. In [00:17:55] Iran, that is not the case. It is a theocracy. [00:18:00] So first you have to understand that the law is dictated by

[00:18:04] Theocracy, Distorted Law, and Social Control ⛓️📜⚖️

[00:18:04] Zahra Amanpour: [00:18:05] distorted, interpretation of the religion.

[00:18:09] Zahra Amanpour: I am Muslim, [00:18:10] just so everybody knows. I very much identify as a Muslim, but that is a distorted [00:18:15] version of the religion. It is not what I believe to be the faith [00:18:20] that dictates sort of the overarching [00:18:25] ideology that runs the country. So that's this sort of. Thing above it, right? The [00:18:30] day to day then means that it gives power [00:18:35] to those who are willing to act on its behalf, [00:18:40] right?

[00:18:40] Zahra Amanpour: Mm-hmm. In the moment. So whether that's an authority or not. [00:18:45] And so, for example, in the family life, uh, women's rights have [00:18:50] been stripped from them. Considerably. They can, can, they can't wear what they want. They have to [00:18:55] wear full hijab. They can't go where they want. They have to get permission from their [00:19:00] husband if their husband's not available from their son to do certain things.

[00:19:03] Zahra Amanpour: Uh, yeah. Right.[00:19:05]

[00:19:05] Bruce Anthony: Hold on. I'm sorry. I don't mean to cut you off. just blew my [00:19:10] mind. Now, I knew that patriarchy was [00:19:15] a huge thing in Iran, right? Mm-hmm. But I thought it [00:19:20] would stop at the husband, father, but the mother having to ask the. [00:19:25] As a black man in this country that has never been the case [00:19:30] where my mom had to come to me.

[00:19:32] Bruce Anthony: Well now because I'm grown, but I'm talking about as a kid come to me [00:19:35] to go do something that she wanted do. That to me is absolutely crazy.[00:19:40]

[00:19:40] Zahra Amanpour: And their ideology. They don't believe women are capable of making certain decisions, and so [00:19:45] the therefore they don't have the right to make those decisions. So that. [00:19:50] So you can imagine how that plays out. And Iranian women, unlike what the stereotypes [00:19:55] will tell you, are actually very active, strong people in society.[00:20:00]

[00:20:00] Zahra Amanpour: They have more STEM degrees than any other by, by uh, [00:20:05] population than any other country in the world. Like these are. Educated, outgoing, [00:20:10] proactive, like engaged in society, people that this has happened to them. So you can imagine [00:20:15] how this has made family life, the amount of, uh, just struggle and, [00:20:20] and uh, just

[00:20:23] The Shocking Reality of Women’s Restrictions 🚺⛓️😳

[00:20:23] Zahra Amanpour: frustration that [00:20:25] women feel on a daily basis and the men around them who are watching this happen and having to, you know, if you care about [00:20:30] your mother, you don't want her to have to live like this, right?

[00:20:32] Zahra Amanpour: Mm-hmm. So that's family life. Then you step [00:20:35] outside of the home and. You can't, as I said, as a woman, dress the way you want. [00:20:40] If a guard for whatever reason feels that you're doing something that they [00:20:45] don't like, they have full authority to come at you in any way. They shape or [00:20:50] form. People are taken off the streets for their political beliefs for, for what they [00:20:55] say, for how they may act, for if a woman's too much of her hair shows you [00:21:00] just disappear, you're gone.

[00:21:02] Zahra Amanpour: And that happens to people all the [00:21:05] time. And on top of that, now what has happened over the last 45 [00:21:10] years is economically, the government has completely mismanaged the [00:21:15] country where our currency collapsed a few weeks ago, which is was the main catalyst for the recent [00:21:20] uprisings. And economically, people are, can't feed their families.

[00:21:24] Zahra Amanpour: You know, they [00:21:25] don't look at the pictures of Tehran, the most wealthy part of the country, as the [00:21:30] representation of what's happening around the country. The vast majority of Iranians are really [00:21:35] struggling. Now, now it's harder. I mean, we talk about [00:21:40] affordability in this country right now. It's in a different realm altogether, how bad it's gotten there.

[00:21:44] Zahra Amanpour: People can't [00:21:45] afford to feed their families. Drug addiction has taken over the country, [00:21:50] opiate with opiates. And so you layer that with. [00:21:55] The way that sort of the ideology and the theocracy is governing the [00:22:00] country and it has created this untenable situation for people where they, [00:22:05] they're, they just have lost any hope of any goodness coming from where the [00:22:10] government in Iran and their daily life and the opportunity that they can pursue, there's just no hope in [00:22:15] it.

[00:22:15] Zahra Amanpour: They've lost that and that is what's pushed us to the moment that we're in now.

[00:22:19] Bruce Anthony: I'm gonna get to the [00:22:20] protest, but something that you said I, I want to go back to you said. [00:22:25] Especially with the restrictions on women [00:22:30] just existing. This is a new thing. This isn't something that [00:22:35] has always been the case. This, these are new restrictions [00:22:40] over, let's say the last 20 years or something like that.

[00:22:43] Zahra Amanpour: No, these restrictions came [00:22:45] into play right after 1979. Okay. The, the, [00:22:50] uh, regime put in the Sharia law. Which is that the sort of [00:22:55] religious philosophy that, uh, drives the laws and, and sort of order, supposed order in [00:23:00] the country. So it was immediately within months of the revolution [00:23:05] and when they took power that they started to enforce these types of laws and put them into law [00:23:10] and into laws.

[00:23:11] Zahra Amanpour: So they, so the people of Iran have been living under these conditions for [00:23:15] 45 years. And women have been [00:23:20] the target. Of this oppression, the main target of the suppression, the idea behind [00:23:25] Islamic fundamentalism, which is what governs I Iran, is if you can hold [00:23:30] half the population down with laws, and then the other half of the population is [00:23:35] worried about those laws, following those laws, enforcing those laws.

[00:23:38] Zahra Amanpour: So nobody gets in [00:23:40] trouble. The the country is. Almost self-governed in that [00:23:45] way. And, and it makes the kind of oppression that we see in Iran possible. And this is what [00:23:50] has happened in all kinds of Theo and throughout history and in Iran, Islamic [00:23:55] fundamentalism has played out that way. So this has been a reality for decades now, [00:24:00] my entire life.

[00:24:00] Zahra Amanpour: Yeah.

[00:24:01] Bruce Anthony: Yeah, you made it a point of [00:24:05] saying the economy has basically collapsed and that's what's led to these [00:24:10] recent protests that we've been seeing. I'm gonna get into some of the gore details of the protest. 'cause I was [00:24:15] reading some stuff and I was like, there's no way that that is happening. That's gotta be [00:24:20] absolutely crazy. But these protests continue. Even when [00:24:25] people know the risks can be deadly and some of the deadliest stuff that's been happening. [00:24:30] Ladies and gentlemen, I'm just gonna give you one example. There's been reports that [00:24:35] the government has fire to certain areas [00:24:40] and when people run away to get out of being burned alive, [00:24:45] they are shooting them down in the streets and not letting them escape.

[00:24:48] Zahra Amanpour: Yes,

[00:24:49] Bruce Anthony: [00:24:50] So under these. Under these crazy tactics that the [00:24:55] government is using, protests are still out there.

[00:24:57] Zahra Amanpour: yes.

[00:24:58] Bruce Anthony: And it's clear that the risks are [00:25:00] daily deadly. What does this tell you about where the Iranian people are mentally and [00:25:05] emotionally right now during this, during these protests?

[00:25:08] Zahra Amanpour: They're done. They're fed up. [00:25:10] They're, you know, for revolution to happen, it has to hit a tipping point. [00:25:15] And it's, it's a, it's a swing back and forth for some time. [00:25:20] And this has been happening too

[00:25:22] “Down With the Dictator”: Freedom, Democracy, and a Secular Future ✊🏽📣

[00:25:22] Zahra Amanpour: for, you know, decades. These tactics are not [00:25:25] new. Uh, in 1988, uh, the Iranian regime executed 30,000 people because [00:25:30] there was up, up uprising and, and, and sort of descent in society.

[00:25:34] Zahra Amanpour: These are [00:25:35] not new. Tactics. However the scale of what just [00:25:40] happened in terms of the uprising and the scale of what the regime did in response to that, [00:25:45] across every city in Iran, that is much, [00:25:50] it, it, it shows that this is escalating and it's getting to that tipping point. But yes, [00:25:55] that reality that you just described is very true.

[00:25:57] Zahra Amanpour: They are also [00:26:00] breaking into hospitals arresting. Doctors who are, are [00:26:05] treating anybody who's been shot or, or injured in the streets. They are [00:26:10] opening fire on children, walking in the streets. [00:26:15] They are, you know, there are reports we, you know, the countries in a blackout right now, and [00:26:20] not everybody realizes that there's an internet blackout in Iran, that the government has shut down the internet.[00:26:25]

[00:26:25] Zahra Amanpour: You cannot. Unless you have starlink or some form of, of satellite [00:26:30] technology that can get stuff around that, which is harder, very hard to do [00:26:35] and very risky. Anyone who has that is going to prison. [00:26:40] You, the footage has not been able to come out for the last weeks, but the stuff that has been coming out [00:26:45] is showing bodies, uh, stacked on top of each other, [00:26:50] uh, children.

[00:26:52] Zahra Amanpour: Innocent bystanders, protestors. These are people, [00:26:55] these are not soldiers. These are people that are being massacred [00:27:00] right now. And 50,000 people that have been [00:27:05] confirmed. We believe the number much greater than this, 50,000 people have been confirmed to be, have been taken as political [00:27:10] prisoners into the prisons of Iran.

[00:27:13] Zahra Amanpour: Iran's prisons, [00:27:15] political prisons are horrendous. The torture and executions that happened there. [00:27:20] And then Iran on top of the regime, on top of that, does public execution. So [00:27:25] what we are expecting as the next wave of this is that people will [00:27:30] be publicly executed. They, they literally hang teenagers from cranes in the [00:27:35] public and execute them in front of people to teach people a lesson not to come out.

[00:27:38] Zahra Amanpour: So [00:27:40] again, these tactics are not new. It's the scale of them and the [00:27:45] intensity of uh, uh, and the defiance in the people. [00:27:50] That is hitting that new point that we, makes us hopeful that this [00:27:55] regime is on it in its last days. And so that's what's this, this time is different, [00:28:00] but the, the dynamics are not new.

[00:28:02] Zahra Amanpour: And anyone who came to the streets on [00:28:05] December 28th knew what they were up against. They have been living under this regime. This is not, this [00:28:10] was a choice and this was a, a very courageous choice. By the people of [00:28:15] Iran to do what they're doing. They knew exactly what they're up against and they knew what is happening now, what happened, [00:28:20] and they still did it.

[00:28:21] Zahra Amanpour: And that just shows you where they are and where their heads are now.

[00:28:24] Bruce Anthony: [00:28:25] Wow. The people that are out there risking their lives [00:28:30] protesting, exactly are they demanding right [00:28:35] now? And, and what do you imagine the future taking shape [00:28:40] in the midst of this level of repression and global pressure? Because Iran, [00:28:45] as a country has a lot of global pressure. Yes. We are not seeing. [00:28:50] atrocities that's happening, but the news is still reporting. [00:28:55] This is what they're doing.

[00:28:56] Zahra Amanpour: Yeah.

[00:28:56] Bruce Anthony: So, and I know from history [00:29:00] that every that goes to certain [00:29:05] extremes to hold onto power, that's when they're really truly losing their [00:29:10] grip. Exactly. So what is, what does the future hold? What do you imagine the future holds?[00:29:15]

[00:29:16] Zahra Amanpour: Well, I am, I have a clear vision and hope for [00:29:20] the future of Iran and, and many Iranians do what the people are demanding, [00:29:25] which is, you know. Hopefully with 92 million people, everybody's not saying they [00:29:30] thinking they want the exact same thing, but the only thing that is consistently [00:29:35] being said is that they want the regime down.

[00:29:38] Zahra Amanpour: They say down with the dictator. [00:29:40] Okay. Okay. So down with the dictator is the number one chant in the streets. Right? [00:29:45] So they want the, this regime gone. That's what they want. [00:29:50] That is the, the, uh, message that everyone is connecting [00:29:55] to. What they want is also freedom [00:30:00] and democracy. That is what they're trying to move towards.

[00:30:02] Zahra Amanpour: And what a lot of people, the history of [00:30:05] Iran, this is not its first, uh. Uh, [00:30:10] dictatorship. Prior to this in 1979, there was a revolution. They kicked out the Shah, [00:30:15] they kicked out the prior monarchy, right? Iranians, unfortunately have been under many [00:30:20] dictatorships. And the last one was where the west was [00:30:25] very.

[00:30:25] Zahra Amanpour: Was meddling in Iran and was uh, very, was [00:30:30] basically taking the resources of Iran from its people and, and [00:30:35] economically benefiting from Iran's resources and that, uh, so the people [00:30:40] felt that their government was selling them out and was basically a puppet to the west. And they kicked out [00:30:45] that government in 1979.

[00:30:47] Zahra Amanpour: Then came this dictatorship, which. Even [00:30:50] more brutal, even more violent, even more oppressive. But they have been living [00:30:55] under this for many, many decades. What they want is to [00:31:00] be free from that. They want to be free from dictatorship. They want freedom and democracy. They want a [00:31:05] secular government. They do not want any church and state mixed together.[00:31:10]

[00:31:10] Zahra Amanpour: They

[00:31:10] The Transition Plan and Fight for Self-Determination 🗳️🧭📜

[00:31:10] Zahra Amanpour: want that separated. And they have a plan to get there. They, and they have a, a, [00:31:15] a organized resistance movement that wants to help them get there. [00:31:20] But all of these things have to come together at the right time in the right place for it to [00:31:25] finally hit that tipping point and for it to move. So the National Council of Resistance [00:31:30] of Iran, which is, uh, the resistance movement that my family is [00:31:35] closest to is a group of 490 different religious groups [00:31:40] and ethnicities and races within Iran that are represented.[00:31:45]

[00:31:45] Zahra Amanpour: And they have a transition plan to get the Iranian people from this [00:31:50] dictatorship to a free election, and that's a six month transition plan. Once [00:31:55] they get there, then the people get to decide what they want. They get to draft their own [00:32:00] constitution, they get to draft their own laws, they get to decide what they want, and they [00:32:05] wanna get there without the Am American or any other military [00:32:10] interfering in that, you know, if the, if the US interferes.

[00:32:14] Zahra Amanpour: There is [00:32:15] an expectation of reciprocity there, whether we acknowledge it or not, we are [00:32:20] not going to go in there and spend that much money doing that and that much military power and [00:32:25] not expect that we don't get something in return for that. And that is not what Iranian [00:32:30] people want. They want self-determination.

[00:32:31] Zahra Amanpour: They want to be able to decide their own future, their own fate, [00:32:35] and, and, and all they want from the rest of the world is support and [00:32:40] witnessing that and, and isolating the regime economically from the rest of the world.

[00:32:44] Bruce Anthony: [00:32:45] That was gonna be my next question because you had the regime, but there are [00:32:50] people who are not technically in the regime who have benefited financially. [00:32:55] Yes. From. The regime, how do you deal with those people that are [00:33:00] going to see, because thing I know about human nature, [00:33:05] people will do anything to hold on to their wealth.

[00:33:09] Zahra Amanpour: Yeah.

[00:33:09] Bruce Anthony: It's [00:33:10] been that way since the beginning of the time. What is the, the what happens to those people? [00:33:15] Yeah. 'cause those people I don't think are going to give up

[00:33:19] Zahra Amanpour: And they're [00:33:20] not. And we see that in the media, mainstream media right now, they've lifted the [00:33:25] former, uh. Uh, Shaw, the former, uh, monarchy son [00:33:30] as the only viable option for the people of Iran because they believe if they put [00:33:35] him back in power, he will be their puppet. Yes. Uh, you heard?

[00:33:39] Zahra Amanpour: So the person [00:33:40] that was overthrown in 1979, want to put his son

[00:33:44] Zahra Amanpour: [00:33:45] Yeah.

[00:33:45] Zahra Amanpour: back in office. Okay. Alright.

[00:33:48] Zahra Amanpour: And his son has [00:33:50] done nothing. Nothing. He lives in a DC area. He has [00:33:55] done nothing for the Iranian people for 45 years. He has not held a job [00:34:00] because he took, stole so much money from the country that he has not had to have a job for [00:34:05] 45 years. So these, this is who they say were is the [00:34:10] only viable option for the Iranian people, not the 92 million people in [00:34:15] Iran.

[00:34:15] Zahra Amanpour: Who are, who are educated, who have dreams, hopes, and [00:34:20] the ability to, to build their own government and their own democracy, but rather [00:34:25] this guy. Somehow has the ability to run this country with no experience, [00:34:30] no credibility, and has been Ted from the country 45 years ago. So this is [00:34:35] who, if you listen and read in the West right now, and it's very deliberate.

[00:34:39] Billionaires in Uniform: Who Really Profits From the Regime? 💰🪖🐍

[00:34:39] Zahra Amanpour: Those people that you [00:34:40] just described that have benefited off of Iran being the money [00:34:45] that comes out of Iran, whether it was during the Shaw's time, those same people built relationships with the [00:34:50] regime. When you have a corrupt government like this, these kinds of things are more prevalent. [00:34:55] Right. So those same people, those people who economically benefited from what, uh, [00:35:00] Iran is rich in oil, it's rich in minerals, it's rich in all types of natural [00:35:05] resources have benefited from deals with Iran are the ones now that are [00:35:10] saying, okay, well if the regime's gonna fall, let's make sure the next one that comes in we can control too.

[00:35:14] Zahra Amanpour: Right? Right. [00:35:15] So there's. So this is the line that connects all of these dots, [00:35:20] right? Is the economic sort of power that has yield been yielded from Iran [00:35:25] by so many different parties. And on top of that, Iran has been very deliberate [00:35:30] about this too. Inside of it, the country, the people who are part of the [00:35:35] IRGC, which is their guard, their revolutionary guard.

[00:35:37] Zahra Amanpour: Supposedly the people who are supposed to protect this [00:35:40] country, they're all billionaires. They have children that they send abroad to go to school [00:35:45] who drive around in Lamborghinis. Just showing their money off. Right. [00:35:50] Why would someone who's in the military have that much money? Where is that coming from?

[00:35:54] Zahra Amanpour: [00:35:55] Okay. There's a lot of documentation about how much money these people have made and how the [00:36:00] military has benefited off of sort of these economic deals. The, so [00:36:05] this has been what's held the regime up. This is also what is driving [00:36:10] what. What is being shown as the West as the only option as the next chapter for the [00:36:15] Iranian people.

[00:36:15] Zahra Amanpour: The fact that the Iranian people have the right to their own freedom, their own [00:36:20] democracy and their own sort of say is not what's being lifted. Rather, we need another [00:36:25] puppet to control the country in order for to, you know, stay under control.

[00:36:29] Choking the Regime: Sanctions, Isolation, and People Power 💵✂️🧱

[00:36:29] Zahra Amanpour: So what has [00:36:30] worked very effectively though, that we want the people to understand is [00:36:35] when I say economic isolation is one way that we can sort of, [00:36:40] be part of this is targeted sanctions against the Iranian government, [00:36:45] so people who do business with the Iranian government are penalized, [00:36:50] right? Mm-hmm. Those types of things work. Okay. When you, when you [00:36:55] strangle the government from a economic perspective, it doesn't have, it makes it weak. [00:37:00] It doesn't have the means to do what it's doing to its people.

[00:37:02] Zahra Amanpour: It doesn't have the means to do what it's been doing around the [00:37:05] whole, like it's been meddling in the Middle Eastern affairs for the last 50 years too. It, it, [00:37:10] it, you have to strangle it economically and then that makes it weaker. And then the people [00:37:15] themselves will have the power then to overthrow the government as long as it's.

[00:37:18] Zahra Amanpour: Got plenty of military might and [00:37:20] money and all of this, it's harder and harder to overthrow it. So that's how you come at it. You have to get it right to the [00:37:25] source, which is cut off its money and cut, cut off its clout. In, in the world.[00:37:30]

[00:37:31] Bruce Anthony: You brought up a lot of interesting points. And I [00:37:35] know here both live in the United States that are [00:37:40] certain actions that the US government does abroad, internationally [00:37:45] reflects back on us as American people. Right. [00:37:50] And then we don't look, we don't get looked on favorably because of what the government is doing and we [00:37:55] get lumped in together. Yeah, right. are bad because the American government is bad. [00:38:00] Some things the Iranian gover, Iran government [00:38:05] has done hasn't been that great.

[00:38:09] Zahra Amanpour: Yeah.[00:38:10]

[00:38:10] Bruce Anthony: How do the people take power [00:38:15] and not get blamed for the previous [00:38:20] administration or the previous regime? Because the [00:38:25] idea that the people take over. I'm going to [00:38:30] assume the military wouldn't be as strong, which would leave the country [00:38:35] susceptible for the enemies to come in and attack.

[00:38:38] Zahra Amanpour: Yeah. [00:38:40] Yes. Uh, that's what happened in 1979. You, a lot of people say, well, you, you already had this revolution and then [00:38:45] you brought this new power to, to be, so this is must be what the Iranian people want. [00:38:50] No. What happened was during the 1979 revolution was that all of the good [00:38:55] progressive forward thinking leadership was either imprisoned at the time or [00:39:00] killed.

[00:39:00] Zahra Amanpour: There was max executions by the Shaw at that time. Okay. Which [00:39:05] created a power vacuum that allowed for the current regime to come to power. [00:39:10] And, and this is why we are where we are today. So does that, is, can [00:39:15] that happen again if there's interference? Yes. That's why [00:39:20] we're saying no interference. Let the people drive this, right.

[00:39:24] Zahra Amanpour: Let them [00:39:25] get it to that place where it needs to go. Because any kind of external interference lends [00:39:30] itself to exploitation of that kind that would allow for another [00:39:35] regime of sorts to rise in Iran. The people of [00:39:40] Iran are very much more, I think Americans only [00:39:45] today are much more realizing like, oh, how.

[00:39:48] Zahra Amanpour: I don't wanna be [00:39:50] affiliated with my government or I don't wanna be affiliated with that party, or I don't wanna be affiliated. Right. Because we've become so [00:39:55] polarized in this country. The Iranian people have no, for 45 years, been like, I want [00:40:00] nothing to do with that regime. Mm-hmm. They don't identify with that regime.

[00:40:03] Zahra Amanpour: Their identity is not the [00:40:05] same. In fact, they're much more identified with the Iran American people because they watch American [00:40:10] movies, they listen to American music. They, you know, we are a more connected world. So, and from their [00:40:15] perspective, they have more in common with. The average American than they have [00:40:20] with their governments.

[00:40:21] Zahra Amanpour: And so if we allow that type of, uh, momentum and [00:40:25] understanding to be what drives the next chapter of the country and not [00:40:30] the, these powers that be, that want to sort of step in and interfere, then the people of Iran [00:40:35] will have a democracy. And then their, their, their government will reflect them. You know, we, [00:40:40] we can be mad in this country, but 50% of this country.

[00:40:43] Zahra Amanpour: Did vote for this administration, [00:40:45] 50% of the country voted for the last administration. So whatever side you're on, right, you can be mad, but that's a [00:40:50] democracy. They don't even have that chance yet, you know? And so [00:40:55] that's what they're trying to get.

​

[00:41:04] Bruce Anthony: [00:41:00] [00:41:05] How this, the protests and the things that are [00:41:10] happening to people reminiscent the 1988 massacre, [00:41:15] and how does history still live inside the families of communities that [00:41:20] dealt with the 1988 massacre decades?

[00:41:23] Zahra Amanpour: Yeah. [00:41:25] You know, one thing that, uh, now that I have children who never met their [00:41:30] grandfather. You start to understand is what is, what is [00:41:35] generational Trump and what does that do to communities and people? And, and, [00:41:40] and you know, what, how do you rise out of that [00:41:45] and, and sort of, uh, change that dynamic.

[00:41:48] Zahra Amanpour: So. [00:41:50] 1988 Massacre.

[00:41:52] Living With the 1988 Massacre: Generational Trauma and Resolve 🕳️🕊️💔

[00:41:52] Zahra Amanpour: As I mentioned, my father was killed in that. [00:41:55] Many, many of my friends and what I call my cousins, uh, family members [00:42:00] were, were killed in that. And. And it was [00:42:05] basically a reaction to the people rising. And there was a shift in the country where there [00:42:10] was a real chance. The regime at that point was starting to weaken.

[00:42:13] Zahra Amanpour: There was a lot of popular sort [00:42:15] of dialogue happening. People were, were rising. There was a lot of just, uh, dissent happening in [00:42:20] the country. And the, the government did what it did. And it basically took everyone who was [00:42:25] in prison at the time, which you have to think. There was 30,000 political prisoners in the prisons [00:42:30] already.

[00:42:30] Zahra Amanpour: So what was happening? How much dissent, how much sort of, uh, [00:42:35] uh, resistance was already happening for that to be the case. But then the regime said, [00:42:40] we're gonna teach you a good lesson and executed all there. There was mass graves, Doug, and [00:42:45] they just buried people. I've never, we never found my father's body.

[00:42:48] Zahra Amanpour: Nobody knows where [00:42:50] their parents are buried. And that's what happened. So. [00:42:55] Again, these are not new tactics, but it all, all the more reason, like when I say [00:43:00] to you our first question today about fearlessness and courage and survival, [00:43:05] right? We are the survivors of that massacre. We are the survivors of [00:43:10] those realities in Iran, and that is all the more reason why we, we [00:43:15] are.

[00:43:15] Zahra Amanpour: That much more sure about what, what the future has to be. It [00:43:20] has given us power, it has given us the courage it has given the Iranian people who are right now [00:43:25] standing on those streets, who are facing off with these guards. The courage to do what they're doing. [00:43:30] Because once you realize that, whether it's because I came outside and, and a [00:43:35] guard was in a bad mood that day, or because they're gonna execute 30,000 people in one summer, [00:43:40] that you have no say.

[00:43:42] Zahra Amanpour: Over your life and your existence and [00:43:45] your freedom, you, you realize you've got nothing to lose and the only [00:43:50] way forward is to rise. And that is what the Iranian people are having. So, [00:43:55] it's, it's all interconnected because we're all, we, [00:44:00] we haven't been able to stop. Resisting. We haven't had that luxury to [00:44:05] stop resisting.

[00:44:06] Zahra Amanpour: It has had its moments, ups and down moments and all of that, but [00:44:10] it has always been there. It has been consistent in all of our lives, and those of us who remember that [00:44:15] and lived through that are not gonna stop. And, and that, that, that really. [00:44:20] Includes all, all of the Iranian people, the majority of the Iranian people have had trauma and [00:44:25] and experienced some sort of horrible reality because of this regime, and [00:44:30] that's why we're united on what we're doing today.

[00:44:33] Bruce Anthony: I feel like this conversation is, [00:44:35] is really important because we live in a world now where [00:44:40] something will happen and then the next day [00:44:45] something else catastrophic will happen and it gets left behind.

[00:44:48] Zahra Amanpour: Yeah, [00:44:50]

[00:44:50] Bruce Anthony: the protest. executions that are going on have [00:44:55] fallen back in the news cycle, and we see this all the time in moments of crisis. [00:45:00] There's attention to it, and then it's followed by silence afterwards. [00:45:05]

[00:45:05] Zahra Amanpour: Yeah.

[00:45:05] Bruce Anthony: What has this silence caused Iranians over time [00:45:10] and how does it shape the regime's behavior today?

[00:45:14] When the World Goes Quiet: Silence, Appeasement, and Bombs 🎧🤐💣

[00:45:14] Zahra Amanpour: [00:45:15] It has allowed for appeasement. So the policies in the West have [00:45:20] very much been dictated by that silence or been, uh, emboldened by that silence, [00:45:25] let me put it that way, time and time again. The resistance has, has [00:45:30] had to lobby in the United States forever because that's what you have to do to get people to listen to you, [00:45:35] and has been able to build a bipartisan support.[00:45:40]

[00:45:40] Zahra Amanpour: From all sides of the aisle around the idea that Iranian people want freedom and [00:45:45] democracy and self-determination. Nevertheless, depending on which [00:45:50] administration has been in O office, there's been this tug of war between two [00:45:55] dominating policies. The first being appeasement, which is, [00:46:00] well, let's reason with these people.

[00:46:02] Zahra Amanpour: Let's talk, let's talk to the regime. If we give [00:46:05] them economic incentives, they'll stop. Right? People who. [00:46:10] Execute. Teenagers on cranes in public do not. You can't reason [00:46:15] with them. These are, these are criminals. These are people who shouldn't be in [00:46:20] public, shouldn't be, be allowed to move about freely. These are criminals [00:46:25] and they need to be held, accountable to their actions.

[00:46:29] Zahra Amanpour: The people of [00:46:30] Iran deserve justice. So the fact when the Iranian, when the Amer, when Americans or [00:46:35] Europeans or whoever other parties. Chinese Russians, everybody does it. When they [00:46:40] sit down at the table with the Iranians and, and, and the Iranian regime [00:46:45] and talk to them as if they're rational, reasonable people, they are [00:46:50] basically saying to the Iranian people that they, they don't have the right to justice [00:46:55] and dignity and freedom.

[00:46:56] Zahra Amanpour: And that is what the message has been time and time again. So when [00:47:00] the Iranian people. Have been more silent. The [00:47:05] policymakers and the sort of powers that be have often exploited that [00:47:10] opportunity to go to the table and create economic opportunity, more economic opportunity for themselves [00:47:15] and the rich of this, of, of this world and the people who have exploited Iran more and more.

[00:47:19] Zahra Amanpour: On the flip side of [00:47:20] that, when we've seen a policy of what we're seeing right now, [00:47:25] which is we're gonna go in and bomb Iran, right? Again, [00:47:30] nothing good will come from that. That will only allow for a power [00:47:35] vacuum that will only allow for, uh, somebody like the Shah to [00:47:40] come to power. That will only allow for more, uh, of the sort of [00:47:45] resources and, and uh, opportunities in Iran to.[00:47:50]

[00:47:50] Zahra Amanpour: Stripped from it. There's nothing good that's going to come from military [00:47:55] action in Iran either. And unfortunately that's been the two sides that have been [00:48:00] played from a policy perspective in the West. And when, so whenever the protests are [00:48:05] not on tv, the west sits down at the table. [00:48:10] It says, let's have a conversation.

[00:48:11] Zahra Amanpour: And when they are on the thing, they're like, we're gonna go bomb 'em. And neither of [00:48:15] those, uh, offer a real solution for the Iranian people and get them any [00:48:20] closer to their, to their dream.

[00:48:22] Zahra Amanpour: What is the solution?

[00:48:24] The Real Solution: Sanctions, Isolation, and Telling Iran’s Truth 🌐🧩📢

[00:48:24] Zahra Amanpour: The solution [00:48:25] is to there, there's a number of things. One is targeted sanctions from a policy [00:48:30] perspective. Tar targeted sanctions where they economically cut the [00:48:35] regime off right so that it can't fill its coffers more with money [00:48:40] and lit gold. We've handed over gold. Of gold to the Iranian [00:48:45] regime.

[00:48:45] Zahra Amanpour: Like there's footage of this, it's crazy. So economic sanctions [00:48:50] that don't hurt the Iranian people, but rather hurt the sources of, of [00:48:55] wealth and, and power for the Iranian regime. Ha It's very effective. Also [00:49:00] political isolation. Stop treating the Iranian regime like it represents the [00:49:05] Iranian people.

[00:49:05] Zahra Amanpour: It does not. I was in front of the United Nations in, in September. Every [00:49:10] September. I've probably been there. I mean, every year I've been in the United States my entire life. I've been in front [00:49:15] of the United Nations in September because the so-called president of Iran [00:49:20] attends the General Counsel and they allow him to speak as if he represents the [00:49:25] Iranian people.

[00:49:25] Zahra Amanpour: Stop giving them a. Political power and political say they do [00:49:30] not represent the Iranian people. So politically isolating them, economically, isolating [00:49:35] them, and then witnessing the, in terms of people like yourself or people who [00:49:40] just care about this issue, just witness what is happening, stay [00:49:45] engaged, you know, if, if the world is watching.

[00:49:48] Zahra Amanpour: All of these people that are [00:49:50] involved in this are more, have to be at least a little bit more accountable to what they're [00:49:55] doing. If the world is watching and looking for truth, that becomes even more [00:50:00] the case. For example, what I say to people is, don't let mainstream media [00:50:05] interpret. What is happening in Iran for you?

[00:50:07] Zahra Amanpour: They have a script. They are sticking [00:50:10] to that script. Everywhere I go, just do the same talk that I'm having with you today. I [00:50:15] am not allowed to say what I'm saying today. I am censored. I am I [00:50:20] am the, the true, the facts are twisted. It is not allowed to happen that way. So [00:50:25] you have to dig deep. You have to be willing and able to dig a little bit deeper.

[00:50:28] Zahra Amanpour: I say just take what you're [00:50:30] hearing, uh, and I can give you some websites in a minute.

[00:50:33] How to Find Raw Sources and Verify Reality Yourself 🔎📲🧠

[00:50:33] Zahra Amanpour: Go to these places that have raw footage, that [00:50:35] have real stuff coming out of Iran and just stick it into Google Translate and you listen. [00:50:40] Yourself to what the slogans are and what the chance are on the streets. You hear what people are saying [00:50:45] because that's what you, that's what's gonna tell you that what they want is not dictatorship.

[00:50:49] Zahra Amanpour: What they [00:50:50] want is freedom. What they want is, you know, the same things we all want in this world, right? [00:50:55] So, you know, take a little bit more responsibility for what you're hearing [00:51:00] and what the source of that is, uh, and, and sort of dig a little bit deeper. Uh, that's what the sort of more [00:51:05] common folk can do to stay engaged in this conversation.

[00:51:08] Zahra Amanpour: Before I go to the next question, [00:51:10] what are those websites for me and for my audience out there so we can get to the truth? Mm-hmm.[00:51:15]

[00:51:15] Zahra Amanpour: Yeah, so NCRI, national Council Resistance of Iran. And if you just go to [00:51:20] NCRI, uh, uh, it's, you have to get to the English one, so put NCRI English. [00:51:25] And it's a.org. It's in, it's a nonprofit. They have raw footage. They, [00:51:30] they do a daily brief where they just show you like accounts of like the stats and the footage that's coming [00:51:35] out of Iran.

[00:51:36] Zahra Amanpour: And you can look at that and see for yourself what's happening and stay up [00:51:40] to date on what's happening. Hash, not hashtag, sorry, [00:51:45] handle Iranco policy on x. [00:51:50] You can find it there. NCI and Iran policy are [00:51:55] also on Instagram. You can find it there. So there's, [00:52:00] there's sources of truth and, and that aren't trying to sway you in any direction, [00:52:05] and the resistance is very active and, and really.

[00:52:08] Zahra Amanpour: You know, putting a lot at risk [00:52:10] to get this stuff out of Iran. So if you really, you have to get closer to the source, get closer to the [00:52:15] resistance, and you'll get closer to the truth. Just watching re meme, uh, reels on, [00:52:20] on Instagram and letting them sort of, the AI sway you this way and that way you're gonna go down [00:52:25] a, a, the wrong.

[00:52:26] Bruce Anthony: Okay. I'm not a freedom [00:52:30] fighter. have been. Okay. All I do is have this show and [00:52:35] bring up issues that I think are getting enough attention or not getting [00:52:40] the right attention. So I'm, I'm not a freedom fighter.

[00:52:43] Zahra Amanpour: Well, giving people voice is a big [00:52:45] part of freedom fighting. So just just so you know.

[00:52:47] Bruce Anthony: Okay. I appreciate that. But you [00:52:50] actually are a freedom fighter and this work is deeply [00:52:55] personal to you. Yes. And has been a part of your life since birth? Yes. And hasn't [00:53:00] just affected you from the outside, has affected you inside [00:53:05] your nuclear family?

[00:53:06] Zahra Amanpour: Yes.

[00:53:08] Bruce Anthony: Are there moments when carrying [00:53:10] this history? Feels especially heavy. And how do you take [00:53:15] care of yourself while still continuing to do the work of [00:53:20] being a freedom fighter?

[00:53:23] Carrying the Weight: Faith, Family, and Not Burning Out 🙏🏽👨‍👩‍👧‍👦💪🏽

[00:53:23] Zahra Amanpour: Yes, there are [00:53:25] moments, there are moments when it's exhausting. Of course, you know it, every, this is, this is not an [00:53:30] easy, struggle. I, I tap into my faith a lot. Mm-hmm. [00:53:35] I, I, you know. I believe I I in [00:53:40] that faith, and I believe that faith is what guides me. Uh, on a day-to-day basis. [00:53:45] I tap into my, my, my, my mom, my [00:53:50] sisters who have been in this struggle with me for a long, my entire life, my day ones, [00:53:55] I, we joke with each other, and, uh, [00:54:00] and really.

[00:54:01] Zahra Amanpour: We can only laugh. People see, some of these we're laughing about and they're like, that's not [00:54:05] funny. And I was like, well, you weren't there in the moment. You didn't, you don't know how it felt in that. It was funny. Or, you know, we can [00:54:10] joke about things that other people don't get. Whatever. I tap into the resistance, the broader community [00:54:15] that I belong to, I feel very fortunate.

[00:54:17] Zahra Amanpour: You know, again. [00:54:20] Despite the, the, all the struggle and the challenges, I feel privileged to [00:54:25] have been raised in this movement, to have such clarity around my [00:54:30] purpose and to have such clarity around the, my vision for, for my people. Like not [00:54:35] everybody gets to have that. That privilege. So I feel very privileged in that way, and I [00:54:40] think that helps me to, to sort of build energy when I'm tired and to, to [00:54:45] reactivate myself when I need to reactivate.

[00:54:49] Zahra Amanpour: And I draw [00:54:50] inspiration from the movement itself. The, the people like I'm on the sidelines, to be honest, [00:54:55] compared to some, a lot of people who are in this, the people who are on the streets right now in Iran, the [00:55:00] people who are. Who have dedicated their lives to this. I, I have a job. I have two [00:55:05] kids. I have a husband, I have, I have normalcy to some extent.

[00:55:08] Zahra Amanpour: There are people in this movement who [00:55:10] don't have any of that because they gave it up to give full time to this thing. So I draw inspiration [00:55:15] from that, you know. And I do all the rest of the things that normal people do. I [00:55:20] try to be healthy. I try to find ways, channel my energy into good things [00:55:25] and nature helps me.

[00:55:26] Zahra Amanpour: All of these different things help me. But to be honest, in a moment like [00:55:30] this, where it, it has sort of flared up and, and, and, and is where it is where now, and it's, it's [00:55:35] much more front and center and I'm on, I've, you know, got multiple interviews every week and [00:55:40] I'm trying to get this message out as much as I can.

[00:55:43] Zahra Amanpour: You know, you just, I, it's [00:55:45] hard to explain, but anyone who's ever been part of something that they really believe in, you make, [00:55:50] it just energizes you. It just gives you something that nothing else in life gives you. [00:55:55] And so in those moments, it's actually [00:56:00] easier when I'm giving more to this and more focused on it than the times when it's like.

[00:56:04] Zahra Amanpour: It's [00:56:05] not, it's not front and center. There's not, a lot of people aren't listening. And then I gotta make time to [00:56:10] go, you know, to an event or facilitate a panel or whatever. I'm like, oh, I'm so tired. I really don't [00:56:15] wanna do this tonight. You know, these moments are actually the easier ones because I'm just a normal person.

[00:56:19] Zahra Amanpour: Right. [00:56:20] But but I draw inspiration and, and, and strength from all the things [00:56:25] that have, have shaped me my whole life. And have brought me to where we are today and have [00:56:30] brought our country to where it is today. And that's how we're, I think we're all gonna get over the [00:56:35] finish line, is we have each other and we have, you know, and that's that, that is so [00:56:40] powerful.

[00:56:40] Zahra Amanpour: That gives you so much energy.

[00:56:42] Bruce Anthony: Okay. That's about you. Yeah. [00:56:45] And you've been so candid, open. [00:56:50] Informative during this interview.

[00:56:52] Zahra Amanpour: Thank you.

[00:56:54] Bruce Anthony: You're welcome. [00:56:55] What do you hope that the audience walks away understanding [00:57:00] about all of this? I know that's a, that's a big question. Yeah. But [00:57:05] at the end of this, what do you hope the audience learns and [00:57:10] understands about everything going on?

[00:57:12] Zahra Amanpour: You know,

[00:57:12] Resistance as a Process, Not a Moment in History 🕰️🔥🌍

[00:57:12] Zahra Amanpour: I, I, I recently, uh, [00:57:15] heard the man who, interviewed, I mean, I'm sorry, who, uh, [00:57:20] prosecuted the, the, uh, policeman who [00:57:25] held his knee on George Floyd's neck in Minnesota. [00:57:30] And they were interviewing him on a show about like what are, what's happening now in Minneapolis and [00:57:35] who should be held accountable and how they can help ice agents accountable, et cetera.

[00:57:39] Zahra Amanpour: And [00:57:40] one of the things he said, and he's, he is a lawyer. And I love, sometimes lawyers can be helpful because they can just [00:57:45] put things into this like order and, and like, you know, this is the the law, right? This is what's truth. [00:57:50] And you're like, yeah, that's true. If you take all the stuff out of it, the most out of it, there it is.

[00:57:54] Zahra Amanpour: Right? [00:57:55] But one of the things he said was, justice is a process. [00:58:00] It's not an outcome, it's a process. And, [00:58:05] and we are in the midst of that process. For me, it just, these [00:58:10] light bulbs went off. 'cause I was like, you know what? Resistance is the same thing. [00:58:15] It's a process. It's not going to, the revolution is not going to [00:58:20] happen on TV as, as has been said.

[00:58:22] Zahra Amanpour: Right? It's not gonna be, [00:58:25] uh, broadcasted that way. Revolution is a process. These things, major [00:58:30] things that mean something in life. A process that change. Humanity are a [00:58:35] process. And so I want the people of America and the West to know [00:58:40] that we are in process, we are in this, we have been in this. [00:58:45] We will continue to be in this and to be our ally and to be our [00:58:50] witness throughout the process as much as you can.

[00:58:54] Zahra Amanpour: I, you know, I don't [00:58:55] expect this to be everyone's top, top of mind every day, but know [00:59:00] that. The people of Iran are fighting for the same things that you are. And we are [00:59:05] in process. And no matter what's being told to you, that process is going to [00:59:10] continue and we will get there one day. And we need the American people.

[00:59:13] Zahra Amanpour: We need [00:59:15] all kinds of communities to believe in that with us and to, to be part [00:59:20] of that belief with us, for us to get there. And anyway. You can [00:59:25] influence that or even be that voice in the room at Moments of Truth be that for [00:59:30] us because that's how, that's how change happens. That's how Revolution happens.

[00:59:34] Zahra Amanpour: So [00:59:35] we are in that process and, that's, that's really what I, 'cause [00:59:40] people are like, no, now it's died down. So are we back to normal? And I'm like, we're not, there's never been a normal [00:59:45] Right. There's never been a normal for us. So no, we're not back to normal. [00:59:50] We are still resisting and we are still struggling and we still need the world to pay attention [00:59:55] Ev every day.

[00:59:56] Zahra Amanpour: And ladies, gentlemen, it didn't die down. There was a [01:00:00]

[01:00:00] Bruce Anthony: there was internet blackout. The information isn't getting out there, so

[01:00:03] Zahra Amanpour: it didn't

[01:00:03] Bruce Anthony: die down.

[01:00:04] Zahra Amanpour: Exactly. That's [01:00:05] very deliberate on the part of the regime.

[01:00:07] Bruce Anthony: So I want to thank you so much [01:00:10] for coming on the show, sharing your story, telling us the real about what's going on in [01:00:15] Iran and how we all can help the people of Iran [01:00:20] get something that we hold very dear in this country. [01:00:25] Freedom

[01:00:25] Zahra Amanpour: Yes.

[01:00:26] Bruce Anthony: and democracy, even though we're slowly losing it in this country, but. [01:00:30] It don't even have it at all in Iran.

[01:00:33] Bruce Anthony: So thank you so [01:00:35] much for coming on the show and sharing your incredible story.

[01:00:38] Zahra Amanpour: Thank you. Thank you so much again [01:00:40] for having me, and thank you for listening and thank you for this platform. As I said, we're, [01:00:45] you know, we are all struggling and, and it's to be connected like this. It's very powerful. Thank you.[01:00:50]

[01:00:50] Zahra Amanpour: It was absolutely my pleasure.

[01:00:52] Bruce Anthony: I want to thank Zara for her honesty. [01:00:55] Her courage and her clarity in this conversation. Today [01:01:00] we talked about what's really happening beneath the surface in Iran. Not just protests, but [01:01:05] people, families, generations carrying trauma and still choosing [01:01:10] resistance. We talk about the reality of oppression, the echoes of the [01:01:15] 1988 massacre, the role of silence from the international community, the use [01:01:20] of internet blackouts, the fear as tools of control, and the very [01:01:25] risk people are taking right now in the streets.

[01:01:27] Bruce Anthony: We also talked about something just as [01:01:30] important hope. The demand for democracy, the [01:01:35] demand for self-determination, the insistence that the future should belong to the people. [01:01:40] Not dictators. Not puppets, not outside [01:01:45] powers, but the people themselves.

[01:01:48] Don’t Scroll Past This: Bearing Witness So Truth Doesn’t Black Out 📵👁️‍🗨️🕯️

[01:01:48] Bruce Anthony: Voices of resistance and [01:01:50] hope, and I wanna leave the audience with this. It's [01:01:55] easy, very easy to see suffering in another country and treated like [01:02:00] distant news, a headline, a clip, a scroll past moment. [01:02:05] But if we say we believe in human rights, if we say we [01:02:10] believe in democracy, if we say that we believe people deserve to live [01:02:15] peacefully and freely.

[01:02:17] Bruce Anthony: The needs, beliefs don't stop at our borders. [01:02:20] Being American is one identity. Being [01:02:25] human comes first, and being human means we don't turn a blind eye [01:02:30] to atrocities just because they're happening somewhere else. It means we stay [01:02:35] informed, we stay aware, we listen to voices like Czars, and we [01:02:40] refuse to let silence be the final chapter.

[01:02:43] Bruce Anthony: We might not all be [01:02:45] activists. We might not all be on the front lines, but we can all [01:02:50] bear witness and we can all care, and [01:02:55] we could all make sure that the truth does not disappear [01:03:00] in a blackout. Thank you for listening. Thank you [01:03:05] for watching, and until next time, as always, [01:03:10] I'll holler.

[01:03:10] Bruce Anthony: Woo. That was a hell of a show. Thank you for rocking with us [01:03:15] here on Unsolicited Perspectives with Bruce Anthony. Now, before you go, don't forget to follow, [01:03:20] subscribe, like, comment, and share our podcast. Wherever you're [01:03:25] listening or watching it to it, pass it along to your friends. If you enjoy it, that means the people that you rock, we'll [01:03:30] enjoy it also.

[01:03:31] Bruce Anthony: So share the wealth, share the knowledge, share the noise. [01:03:35] For all those people that say, well, I don't have a YouTube. If you have a Gmail account, you have a [01:03:40] YouTube. Subscribe to our YouTube channel where you can actually watch our video podcast and YouTube exclusive [01:03:45] content. But the real party is on our Patreon page after Hours [01:03:50] Uncensored and talking straight ish after Hours.

[01:03:51] Bruce Anthony: Uncensored is another show with my sister, and once again, [01:03:55] the key word there is uncensored. Those are exclusively on our Patreon page. Jump [01:04:00] onto our website@unsolicitedperspective.com for all things us. That's where you can get [01:04:05] all of our audio video, our blogs. And even buy our merch. And if you really feel [01:04:10] generous and want to help us out, you can donate on our donations page.

[01:04:14] Bruce Anthony: [01:04:15] Donations go strictly to improving our software and hardware so we can keep giving you guys good [01:04:20] content that you can clearly listen to and that you can clearly see. So any [01:04:25] donation would be appreciative. Most importantly, I wanna say thank you, thank you, [01:04:30] thank you for listening and watching and supporting us, and I'll catch you next time.[01:04:35]

[01:04:35] Bruce Anthony: Audi 5,000 [01:04:40] Peace.