The following was excerpted from Deseret News. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
This morning, as the United States launched strikes against targets inside my homeland of Iran, I wept to know my people were no longer standing alone.
Yet my phone filled with messages of concern: “I’m so sorry.” “I’m praying for your family.” “My thoughts are with you in this difficult time.”
I love that my friends understand this is personal, since my family story is tied to Iran. Yet I don’t think many people appreciate what this moment means for Iranians like me around the world.
In the hours since, I’ve seen prominent commentators and news outlets condemn the strikes as reckless or unlawful. I also understand that instinct. As a lawyer — and as someone who usually sees nuance in nearly every political question — I am rarely comfortable declaring anything morally simple.
But this moment feels unusually clear.
This is a historic moment for freedom, democracy, and human rights.
My mother was incarcerated by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Her crime was raising money to support democracy. I have slept in shared women’s prison quarters beside her. I have seen firsthand how that regime suppresses dissent, silences women, imprisons journalists, and crushes basic liberties. I do not romanticize it.
