Elina Shirazi, a first-generation Iranian and reporter for the Daily Mail, shared her family’s experiences and the current situation in Iran during an interview with The National News Desk. Shirazi recounted her parents’ escape from Iran during the 1969 revolution when the Shah was overthrown and the Islamic Republic took control. “My father was actually on the last Pan Am flight out of Tehran in December that year,” she said, describing the flight as “a full flight of over 200 Iranians who landed in a foreign country not knowing the language, leaving everything and everyone that they knew behind.”
Shirazi also shared messages from contacts in Iran, highlighting the dire conditions under the current regime. “They don’t spare us on the streets if your hand comes out of your pocket. They used to beat you. Now they just shoot,” one message read. Another message described a public execution: “He shouted death to the dictator! Then right in front of everyone. They put a bullet in his head.”
Despite the challenges, Shirazi expressed hope for change, citing recent protests led by women and children. “Iranians have made it clear that they are willing to, unfortunately, die for their freedom, and they’re really just begging for a sort of lifeline right now for the world to hear them,” she said. Shirazi emphasized the importance of global attention and support for the Iranian people’s efforts to initiate change from within.
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