Reza H. Akbari
@rezahakbari.bsky.social
PhD Candidate AU History - Program Manager IWPR MENA - Iranian-American - inforezaakbari@gmail.com - I write The Guarded Domains, a Substack newsletter focused on Iran and the broader Middle East region. https://guardeddomains.substack.com
My interview with TRT World on Trump’s expletive-laden threats against #Iran and the heightened risk of regional escalation following Saudi Arabia’s overt entry into the war. youtu.be/REG3ZYCB5Gs
Trump issues expletive-laden threat to Iran after Jordan attacks
YouTube video by TRT World Now
youtu.be
Devastated to hear the news of Akbar Abdi's passing. A legend. A king of comedy. A master of drama. A true actor. For nearly 50 years, he entertained an entire nation. 1/5 #Iran
I am going to leave this here to preserve this moment. Some horrors also need to be preserved. A dark, unsettling, and dispiriting moment for #Iran, the Middle East, and the United States. A disaster in the making. And yes, an even bigger disaster than it already has been. 1/3
Dior's latest campaign was meant to be a tribute to timeless elegance. Iranians, however, immediately noticed something else: the latest vogue looked remarkably like what their dads, uncles, and teachers wore in the 1960s. The rest is meme history... #Iran
ICYMI: In my latest, I translate the testimony of a Bushehr resident who remained in the city during the initial weeks of the #IranWar, walking its streets, talking to people, & bearing witness to the fear, humor, & resilience of everyday life under fire. guardeddomains.substack.com/p/when-the-w...
When the War Came to Bushehr
Pages from a War – Part 9
guardeddomains.substack.com
ICYMI: In my latest, I translate the testimony of a Bushehr resident who remained in the city during the initial weeks of the #IranWar, walking its streets, talking to people, & bearing witness to the fear, humor, & resilience of everyday life under fire. guardeddomains.substack.com/p/when-the-w...
When the War Came to Bushehr
Pages from a War – Part 9
guardeddomains.substack.com
What does it mean to “hold on to life” in the middle of a war? In Bushehr, it meant fleeing w/ a fishbowl or a pair of lovebirds. Saving 2 flowerpots from a shattered shop. Tightening bolts on a construction site while warplanes circled overhead. guardeddomains.substack.com/p/when-the-w... 1/3 #Iran
When the War Came to Bushehr
Pages from a War – Part 9
guardeddomains.substack.com
“But what struck me was this: in the middle of all that chaos, what mattered to him were his flowerpots. The fact that in such conditions he was paying attention to his flowerpots. Those [things], those [moments], were signs of people clinging to life or clawing at it, refusing to let it go.”
![He said, “Just now, while they were bombing, the suspended ceiling in my shop collapsed from the blast. Glass shattered everywhere. I reached in, grabbed only my flowerpots, and now I’m leaving the city. Then your Snapp request came through, and I thought, ‘Well, here’s another poor soul. I might as well take him with me.’” I told him, “No, I actually have something I need to do [and then I will return].”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:uekidjadyz3cstlxc4f5lwvx/bafkreigdpg6qlnigecjijpjseo7w6gyjb4wj5cp4sgiydkasg77p6rr56e)
Reza H. Akbari@rezahakbari.bsky.social · 3w agoIn my latest, I translate the testimony of a resident of Bushehr who remained in the city through weeks of bombardment, walking its streets, talking to people, and bearing witness to the fear, uncertainty, humor, and resilience of everyday life under fire. 2/3 #Iran
What does it mean to “hold on to life” in the middle of a war? In Bushehr, it meant fleeing w/ a fishbowl or a pair of lovebirds. Saving 2 flowerpots from a shattered shop. Tightening bolts on a construction site while warplanes circled overhead. guardeddomains.substack.com/p/when-the-w... 1/3 #Iran
When the War Came to Bushehr
Pages from a War – Part 9
guardeddomains.substack.com
A U.S. official says #Iran has downed roughly 30 American Reaper drones since the war began. They cost around $30 million each, so that’s close to $1 billion in losses. abcnews.com/Politics/ira...
Iran has shot down 30 US Reaper drones, US official says
Iran claimed to have shot one Reaper down during U.S. strikes on Tuesday.
abcnews.com
Ali Khamenei lies in state in Tehran as #Iran begins a week of funeral ceremonies. Foreign delegations file past the coffins of the slain Supreme Leader & members of his family. Each delegation is escorted into the hall by a brief military march. Then there is a short recitation from the Quran. 1/5
Massive military flyovers are happening over the National Mall as part of the Freedom 250 celebrations and they are terrifying. My entire house shakes when the planes go by.
Incredible stories from #Iran, Kharg Island. "The island’s native residents, who probably number fewer than 50, stayed where they were...Do you know what their greatest concern was? The gazelles. Kharg Island is home to a native population of gazelles. There are around 200 to 300 of them..."
Reza H. Akbari@rezahakbari.bsky.social · last mo.To help make these voices accessible to a wider English-speaking audience, I started translating selected personal reflections on my Substack. My latest continues through southern #Iran, among the regions hit hardest by the conflict. It features two accounts from Bandar Abbas & one from Kharg. 2/2
An account of Kharg Island during the war: “The island’s native residents, who probably number fewer than 50, stayed where they were. Every night they would sit beside the runway, smoke hookah, and gaze out at the sea. Do you know what their greatest concern was? The gazelles.”
Reza H. Akbari@rezahakbari.bsky.social · last mo.The past 100 days of war have produced a growing body of diaries, oral testimonies, journalistic accounts, and personal reflections shared by Iranians across digital platforms. Together, they form a collective record that preserves the nation's memory of the moment. 1/2 #Iran
US homeland security secretary on #Iran’s elimination from the World Cup: “I was so happy when we were able to pull their visas and said they could leave the US soil and I might’ve sung a song or two or maybe even danced a happy dance.” www.theguardian.com/football/202...
US security chief ‘danced a happy dance’ after Iran’s World Cup elimination
Markwayne Mullin, the US homeland security secretary, said: ‘I might’ve sung a song or two,’ when Iran were knocked out after three group-stage draws
theguardian.com
Someday I want to see a really well reported story from the Iranian side on how they managed to systematically destroy the entire US military base archipelago America had built and relied on for decades, and why the US couldn’t protect them. We kind of shrug and move on but it’s astonishing.
The past 100 days of war have produced a growing body of diaries, oral testimonies, journalistic accounts, and personal reflections shared by Iranians across digital platforms. Together, they form a collective record that preserves the nation's memory of the moment. 1/2 #Iran
Here from @rezahakbari.bsky.social is another set of Iranian war testimonies, two from Bandar Abbas and one from Kharg #Iran
War at the Water’s Edge
Pages from a War – Part 8
guardeddomains.substack.com
An Arabic-Persian-Turkish glossary, copied in the early 18th century by one of the great orientalist autodidacts, Henry Wild, a tailor from Norwich who was said to have taught himself Hebrew, Arabic, & Persian, among other languages. University of Sydney Library, ms Add. Ms. 56
I am proud of #Iran's team. They played with a lot of heart and unrelenting determination despite the immense challenges created by war, travel restrictions, and dozens of other issues. They should hold their heads high. 1/3
As #Iran battles in the FIFA World Cup, its national team carries far more than sporting expectations. Months of war, a suspended domestic league, disrupted preparations, & travel restrictions have shaped the road to this tournament and continue to create significant challenges. 1/9
As #Iran battles in the FIFA World Cup, its national team carries far more than sporting expectations. Months of war, a suspended domestic league, disrupted preparations, & travel restrictions have shaped the road to this tournament and continue to create significant challenges. 1/9
Entertaining. Frustrating at times. A win was within reach, but I’ll take it. Go Team Melli! #Iran
I believe #Iran is a superior team. Early jitters caused us a stupid goal. Focus is lacking a bit. With everything that has happened off the field, I am pretty proud of the boys so far. It’s also so beautiful to see the unified chants of “Iran” from the stadium.
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