meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Warfare

Iranian Revolution

Warfare

History Hit

History

4.5943 Ratings

🗓️ 4 November 2022

⏱️ 33 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The current uprisings in Iran have connections that date back to the 1979 Iranian revolution, which saw the country go from a monarchy, to an Islamic Republic. It became one of the most defining moments of the 20th century. 


Ayatollah Khomeini was now the Supreme Leader of the Republic of Iran, and a conservative rule of the country was now enforced. Freedoms that had been enjoyed previously in Iran like drinking alcohol and listening to western music were now banned, and women were now required by law to wear a veil.


Tensions between Iran and the West have continued fluctuate, with most recent events concerning Iran's support of Russia in the war against Ukraine by supplying arms. This comes at the same time as the Iranian government continues to suppress it's own people amid on-going anti-Government protests.


Today, James Rogers is joined by activist and author Nasrin Parvaz, who at the age of 23 in 1982 was arrested by the regime’s secret police for resisting the Ayatollah's regime. She was sentenced to death and tortured before her sentence was later commuted to 10 years imprisonment. She was released after 8. She discusses her experiences during this key turning point in modern history.


Warning: This episode contains content that some listeners may find distressing.


This episode was edited by Aidan Lonergan.


For more Warfare content, subscribe to our Warfare Wednesday newsletter here.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

When the Iranian Revolution took hold in January 1979, it saw the birth of an Islamic regime,

0:07.0

one that suppressed human rights, imprisoned young, impassioned and highly educated students,

0:12.0

and set the nation on a course to decades of

0:14.8

hostilities with the West and these relations have brought Iran and the West close to

0:19.3

war on a number of occasions. Today Iran is even strengthening its ties with Russia, helping with the war in Ukraine, and once again brutally suppressing its own people.

0:29.0

And so with all of this in mind, I wanted to take a deep dive into the history of the Iranian Revolution as a key turning

0:36.2

point, a pivotal point in modern history. To do this, I've invited Nazrin Parvas onto the warfare

0:42.4

podcast, and as a result this is far from your normal episode.

0:46.7

Nasrin is a survivor of post-revolution Iran.

0:49.7

She was sentenced to death for attending the wrong meeting at the wrong time and for her role in

0:54.6

protesting against the government she was subject to torture before miraculously being released

1:00.0

in the 1990s and making her way to the UK.

1:03.7

And so it's from Nazrin that we get a glimpse of life inside Iran

1:07.3

and the rooflessness of the regime.

1:09.5

It's for this reason that I give you forewarning

1:11.6

that this episode contains content that some people might find

1:14.8

upsetting, but here now is the remarkable Nazrin Parvas on the Iranian Revolution.

1:27.0

Hi Nazrin, welcome to the Warfare Podcast. How you doing today?

1:30.0

I'm fine.

1:31.0

Thank you for inviting me. Well, thank you for taking the time to come on the

1:34.5

podcast. It's a difficult time for relations between Iran and the West at the moment, from

1:40.0

protests and police violence across the country to Iran's continued role in supplying weapons to Russia

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from History Hit, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of History Hit and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.