Editor's Note: This is part one of a two-part column. "Iran Past, Present, and Future: A Conversation with Marziyeh Amirizadeh, Part 2" will be published on January 15, 2026.
This week, January 16, marks the anniversary of the day in 1979 when Iran's Shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, was forced to flee Iran with his family, including his then-teenage son and Crown Prince, Reza Pahlavi. This year, the date will be marked at the height of protests that have been taking place for nearly three weeks, the largest and most widespread protests in Iran against the Islamic Republic. Iranians across Iran and expatriates around the world are more hopeful and inspired by these protests than ever before. They believe that the regime is on its last legs and are waiting for the day that the protests turn into celebrations.
Marziyeh Amirizadeh was born in Iran just before the Islamic Revolution. She grew up there knowing only the repression of radical Islam, and especially as a girl and young woman, suffering the institutional misogyny that is Islamic doctrine, even impacting her relationships in her own family. Throughout her life, she always sought truth, but in the Islam with which she was indoctrinated, she only found lies. In 1999, she had a profound interaction with Jesus through a dream and became a Christian. She was responsible for distributing 20,000 Bibles throughout Iran. In 2009, she was arrested and sentenced to death for the "crime" of "apostasy," and spent nine months in Iran's notorious Evin Prison before being released due to international pressure. She has written two books and lectures widely about her story, faith, and vision for Iran and the future.
In January 2023, I was introduced to her and hosted her for the first time of several on the "Inspiration from Zion" podcast. We have become friends and partners in a remarkable program, Root & Branch, the first olive harvest pilgrimage, connecting Christians and Jews in support of Israel. With protests at a historic and hopeful level, Iranians being killed by the thousands, and on this anniversary, I was able to catch up with her and discuss some of what's taking place now, and what the future may look like.
Q: Are you in contact with people in Iran, directly or indirectly, and what are you hearing?
MA: Recently, I tried to reach an old friend just to check in to see if she is OK. Not only have I not heard back, because of the regime shutting down the internet, she has not even seen my message almost a week later. I am not in direct contact with many others inside the country because my political activities, social media posts, and writings could put them in danger as the regime's agents monitor my online activities. However, I am in indirect contact through family and friends who have friends in Iran and update me about what is happening. The human situation is scary, and Iran has never been in such bad shape, just in terms of finances and infrastructure.
Q: Previous protests in Iran raised hope and expectations for freedom, but those were largely snuffed out. What makes the current protests different than previous ones?
MA: Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, there have been several noteworthy uprisings and protests, each marked by the Islamic Republic murdering or disappearing hundreds, and thousands arrested. When I was in prison in 2009 during the "Green Movement," I witnessed the brutality of the regime because the prison cells rapidly became full of protesters, many beaten and tortured, telling stories of widespread executions taking place on the streets. I've written about these in my two books.
Some of the more recent protests in my adult life include the Green Movement, which erupted after the disputed reelection of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Hundreds of people were killed in the streets, and thousands were arrested. In the end, that was put down by the brutality of the regime, which understood that President Obama had abandoned the protesters and was not going to lift a finger to protect them or even sanction the regime.
Most well-known recently were the 2022-2023 protests following the killing of Mahsa Amini. This became known as the "Women Life Freedom" protests. During these protests, more than 500 people were killed, and about 20,000 were arrested.
There have been others, but these are the most widespread until now, and were most visible overseas. In the past 47 years, tens of thousands of innocent people — men, women, children, activists, students, and minorities – were killed at the hands of the Islamic Republic, which has used execution, torture, disappearances, and massacres to silence any opposition.
One thing that's different now is that during the previous protests, Iranians did not have a leader to unite them and rally around because the fake reformists were successful in deceiving Iranians and Western people by exporting and promoting their deceitful lies, with the ultimate agenda of propping up the Islamic regime.
Today, we are seeing several different things that motivate the protesters and give hope that this will be the end of the Islamic Republic. First, most Iranians are united around the return of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi. His name echoes through the streets of Iran and across social ia with the slogan "Javid Shah," "Long live the Shah."
Second, the protests are more widespread and bigger than before, seeing streets in more than 100 Iranian cities as the frontline. Buildings owned by the regime and its institutions, as well as mosques, have been attacked and burned, showing contempt both for the regime and its Islamist extremism.
Protesters are also openly calling for the death of the ayatollahs, which is even more bold than before. Of course, it doesn't matter what the Iranians are chanting because the regime will use any pretext to brutalize, torture, or execute them.
Another key factor is that President Trump speaking out forcefully against the regime, something that his predecessors from Carter to Obama and Biden never did. Most recently, he imposed sanctions on countries supporting Iran, which is the polar opposite of Obama and Biden sending billions of dollars to the Islamic Republic. This inspires Iranians and puts the regime on notice. Trump has imposed sanctions, which, coupled with widespread mismanagement, have led to the devaluation of the rial to historic lows. This means that all Iranians suffer.
The June 2025 12-Day war with Israel, and U.S. participation, wiped out much of the Islamic Republic's military equipment, nuclear plants, and many leaders. This has left Iran weak and unable to defend itself. Losing proxies in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, and Venezuela has also weakened the regime's evil influence and ability to threaten others.
While the ayatollahs will do anything to stay in power and have killed thousands in the past two weeks, their ultimate goal is to stay alive and live for another day to brutalize and control the Iranian people. As Iranians chant, "Reformists, Hardliners, the Game is over," they are telling the regime that you cannot deceive us anymore. As the regime has started to brand the protesters "terrorists," the fear is that it will be the pretext to launch an even more massive slaughter of Iranians. The regime has to balance putting down the protests with not doing anything to trigger foreign intervention that might lead to their being captured or killed.