Trump and Netanyahu both sent Persian New Year (3/20/2025) greetings to the Iranian people. Like the old folktale of “Little Red Riding Hood” when she says, “What a big mouth you have,” and the wolf replies, “The better to eat you with, my dear” as he jumps up and swallows her, these greetings are a sinister and cynical move by two butchers slaughtering people/children across Gaza that has dire life and death stakes for the people of Iran, the Middle East, and ultimately the world.

The objective impact and likely intent of these greetings are to fish in Iran’s troubled waters—to appeal to people in Iran resisting the regime’s extreme repression, especially its rising executions of prisoners, including of its political prisoners. The repression continues to be met with courageous though still limited resistance calling for an end to all executions, mainly in a movement led by prisoners themselves and former political prisoners, including in the Iranian diaspora, as indicated in the March 8 statement at the IEC website “War Against Women, Women Against War, A Collective Call.” Israeli and U.S. threats and attacks put Iran’s regime up against the wall and enable it to whip up its own reactionary social base into hyper Iranian nationalism, and to attack anyone in Iran who opposes the regime as “foreign agents” of Israel and Western imperialists. There are those who support Israel and the U.S. as part of the poisonous “might makes right” mentality alongside their (justified) hatred of the dark ages capitalist Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI). This is a polarization that needs to change in the interest of the people of Iran and the world, as it is a reactionary/harmful “choice” to side with one or the other oppressive and repressive force of Israel/U.S. or the IRI and its so-called Axis of Resistance.

While it is beyond the IEC’s scope to analyze the highly fluid and complex situation unfolding in the Middle East, this 3+ minutes Times of India video (3/19/2025) briefly summarizes some aspects of the extremely dangerous situation in the U.S.’s new strikes on Yemen’s Houthi Islamicists, their response, and the threats against Iran.

Trump has said last week that Iran will be held responsible for anything done by its Houthi ally. There are chilling reports of active preparations for “a major regional conflict with Iran."[1]

Defiant Actions Mark Persian New Year Celebrations

Raucous crowds, sometimes in the thousands, filled urban streets and rural valleys in Iran in celebrations of the eve of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, which defied prohibitions by the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI). Some videos on social media show crowds chanting or singing against the regime, and clashes with authorities who tried to stop the celebrations in Tehran, West Azerbaijan and East Azerbaijan.[2]

In significant actions, political prisoners chanted or sang inside Evin and Ghezel Hesar prisons, while support actions took place outside the gates of Evin Prison in Tehran (the capital) and Lakan Prison in Iran’s northern Gilan province.

In front of Evin Prison, Narges Mohammadi, the 2023 Nobel Peace laureate who is on temporary medical leave and in imminent danger of being dragged back into Evin, bravely burned a noose outside the prison gates. Here is an excerpt from her statement.

For many years in Evin Prison, we the prisoners used to burn sticks and jump over it and joyously sing-like the rest of the people of Iran and shout:

"Your redness will be mine and my yellowness be yours."[3]
Tonight I decided instead… to burn nooses next to the Evin Prison walls.… I shout: We will not rest till we put an end to the Execution Republic! We will not rest till we free all political and prisoners of conscience! We will not rest till we defeat the Islamic Republic and bring victory for the people of Iran!

From behind those same prison gates, political prisoner Golrokh Iraee issued a hopeful New Year’s message and wrote:

The women of Evin, and the prisoners of Wards 4 and 8, welcomed the New Year with one heart and one mind, singing revolutionary songs and chanting slogans in the prison yard in solidarity with all freedom fighters against tyranny and oppression over the last 120 years, and with the families of the victims.
May we welcome the Spring on the path of, and in memory of, those who —[were] heedless of their own comfort and safety— sacrificed their lives to bring the Spring of Liberation and Equality to the oppressed masses.
Political prisoners must be freed!
Year [4] 1404 — The Year of Revolution to Overthrow this Whole System!
Year 1404  — The Year to End this Evil Regime!
No to Execution!
#Revolution

In the huge Ghezel Hesar prison in Karaj, where prisoners say thousands are on death row and where the “No to Executions Tuesday” hunger strikes began (now in its 60th week, the strike has spread to at least 38 prisons across Iran), political prisoners chanted “Freedom, Freedom, Freedom,” "Red flames say no to executions,” “The message of Chaharshanbe Suri is down with dictatorship,” “Khamenei, Zahak, I will bury you under the ground.[5]” They managed to send the audio out to the world via cellphone.

Activists in the Iranian diaspora posted a video on March 17 (the eve of “No to Executions Tuesday” and Chaharshanbe Suri) in which they burned nooses.

Executions Accelerate

On March 18, the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Iran delivered a report which said, “The pace [of executions] is accelerating with at least 169 known executions identified in January and February alone. Should this alarming rate remain consistent, the total number of executions could exceed 1,000 this year, a chilling threshold that demands a collective global response.” In 2024, at least 975 people were executed in Iran, a 17% increase from the at least 834 executions recorded the previous year, according to a joint report released by the Iran Human Rights Organization (IHRNGO) and Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM).[6]

In the dangerous swirl of the IRI’s executions and bloody repression at the same time as Trump orders deadly attacks and issues threats against Iran and the whole Middle East region, the orientation from the IEC’s Emergency Appeal is more urgent than ever:

In the U.S., we have a special responsibility to unite very broadly against this vile repression by the IRI, and to actively oppose any war moves by the U.S. government that would bring even more unbearable suffering to the people of Iran.

Medhi Yarrahi had posted RooSarito (Your Headscarf) on YouTube in August 2023 in preparation for the first anniversary of the powerful Woman, Life, Freedom (WLF) uprising in Iran. The historic uprising of millions was sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Jina Amini at the hands of “morality police” for not covering her hair properly. It unleashed support from people around the world, especially the vast and politically diverse Iranian diaspora in Europe and North America, and by others as far away from Iran as Colombia in South America.      

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Mehdi Yarrahi (43) is a popular singer/composer, a voice of conscience, outrageously made political prisoner, who lives in Iran’s capital of Tehran. For his uplifting and daring song that praised defiant women who remove their mandatory hijab (head covering) in Iran, the regime responded with a prison sentence that included a cruel whipping of 74 lashes.¹ This sadistic beating of Mehdi is a real indictment of Iran’s Islamic dark ages theocratic laws based in the extreme misogyny of ancient Sharia. All those who support this vicious regime, even if rightfully to oppose the Israeli genocide in Gaza fully-backed by U.S., are complicit in perpetuating the “lesser evil” reactionary regime and foreclosing the hope for a better future expressed by many progressive artists and political prisoners in Iran.

On March 5, as the last part of his sentence, Medhi was subjected to the flogging which was intended to humiliate him and threaten any artist who stand against women’s oppression. Mehdi was unable to sit or lean back afterwards, according to his lawyer. However, far from being humiliated or cowed, he posted this defiant message on IG the next day.

You have brought glass to break our stone. Thank you for your constant support, dear ones, and the sincere companionship of the respected lawyers Mustafa Nili and Zahra Minoui. He who is not willing to pay the price of freedom does not deserve freedom. Wishing for liberation.

Artists and Activists Respond: “A Lash to an Artist is a Lash to Humanity”

Hundreds of Iranian artists, many of them inside Iran, have signed a statement titled “A lash to an artist is a lash to humanity,” condemning the flogging as “cruel and medieval”; including prominent signers such as rebel rapper Toomaj Salehi, and internationally renowned directors Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof. It said: “Mehdi Yarrahi, an honorable artist of Iranian music who has always embraced people’s pain… deserves the highest honors, not a cruel punishment like flogging… We, a group of Iran’s artistic community, warn of the social and cultural consequences of imposing punishment, pressure and disrespect on popular artists and strongly condemn such behaviour.”

Mehdi Yarrahi wrote on the day after his beating, “You have brought glass to break our stone”, quoting from a song he wrote during the 2022 uprising, “Life’s Anthem”:

You who have infamously occupied our throne,
you have brought glass to break our stone…”

Addressing the people, he goes on to sing:

Free your head from the yoke of slavery…
Behold, behold the coming morning!
Draw up a novel plan!
Strike the overturned throne!

Check out Life’s Anthem, subtitled in English, and others on his YouTube channel.

On March 14, Narges Mohammadi, herself on temporary medical furlough from Evin Prison, wrote that she and a group of activists and artists visited Mehdi Yarrahi to show their support. She wrote:

Mehdi Yarrahi is one of those artists who stand with the people of Iran, singing for them and paying the price not only through the deprivation of his art but also through imprisonment and lashes. He became the voice of the people in the powerful “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement. His songs, alongside those of other protesting artists, echoed from the throats of protesters, the imprisoned, and those in captivity…

In response to recent threats by the IRI to cancel the medical leave of Narges Mohammadi, Nobel Peace Laureate 2023, and return her to prison, more than 85 former Nobel laureates issued a joint statement calling for her immediate and unconditional release, and for all other political prisoners. Their following statement was also supported by Nobel Women’s Initiative and PEN America:

We, Nobel Laureates from across disciplines around the world, call for the full and unconditional release of our sister laureate Narges Mohammadi, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize 2023. Narges was recognized “for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all”, becoming the fifth person to be awarded the prize while in prison.

‍Narges Mohammadi left Tehran’s notorious Evin prison on temporary medical leave in December 2024. We have united at this moment because her freedom remains tenuous and can be revoked at any time. We call for the temporary release to become permanent. Her resilience ignites a global call to action, reminding us that the pursuit of justice and freedom knows no borders.

Narges Mohammadi, like tens of thousands of human rights defenders, opposition politicians, artists, journalists and outspoken opponents of the Iranian regime, was imprisoned on politically motivated charges. She was imprisoned in 2016, and has faced six additional trials adding over 13 years to her sentence. She has continued to be an outspoken opponent of the regime and an advocate for women’s rights even behind bars. Her tireless fight for justice embodies the spirit of resistance against tyranny.

‍Her struggle is not hers alone—it is a shared fight for every woman, every political prisoner, and every soul who dares to stand against oppression. [Emphasis by IEC]

‍“The ropes of the gallows will be torn by the powerful hands of each and every one of us. I hope for the day when execution chambers and gallows serve only as reminders of tyranny’s cruelty and as lessons for our pursuit of humanity, freedom, and equality” — Narges Mohammadi

We stand with Narges Mohammadi and with all those unjustly imprisoned for daring to envision a more just and equitable Iran and call on the international community to rise in solidarity and amplify the rallying cry that reverberates across Iran: “Women, Life, Freedom.”

Together, let us demand justice for Narges Mohammadi and for all those who defy oppression with courage, hope, and an unbreakable will. We, the undersigned Nobel laureates, demand the unconditional release and the dismissal of all charges against Narges Mohammadi.

Let the Spirit of Fearless and Selfless Resistance Spread Around the World — and Free Iran’s Political Prisoners

Yarrahi’s music stands as part of the growing resistance of writers, filmmakers and musicians to the reactionary, murderous regime. As Narges’ post speaks to, the regime’s retribution for WLF support from these artists point to the exceptional role they play in concentrating the rage of the people against injustice, expressing their common humanity, and to dreaming of a far better future for how society and people could be.

In the turbulent and threatening situation in the world today, and in the US in particular (see revcom.us), this courageous and principled stand is one which should be spread and emulated with haste and a love for the world’s oppressed humanity, including the implacable resisters to women’s oppression in Iran. Donate and actively participate in the work of the IEC today at www.freeiranspoliticalprisonersnow.org

Towards our common hopes and aspirations, we want to share the photo of the courageous IWD celebration/gathering held in Tehran on March 2, 2025:

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FOOTNOTE:

1.  Three prior cases had already been filed against him on charges like "propaganda against the system" and "collusion and assembly against national security" for his protest songs. Through most of his musical career which began in 2010, Mehdi Yarrahi has dealt with social themes like pollution in Khuzestan, the Iran-Iraq war, workers’ conditions, and the struggles of women. For this he has been banned from performing several times. In the RooSarito case, the song was called “illegal and unethical” and he was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison (one year required to be served) and 74 lashes. He served much of the first year under house arrest with an ankle bracelet due to medical problems in prison.