Dear Mrs. Trump –
Or may I call you Melania? If that's too familiar, no problem, I understand. But you can certainly call me Cliff!
I'm a long-time admirer. I've heard you speak out for human rights, saying for example: "There is no room for compromise when it comes to this essential right that all women possess from birth: individual freedom."
You've also pressed Russia to return the Ukrainian children its soldiers have abducted. "Reunifying children with their loved ones," you've said, "remains one of the most important global issues today."
Right now, I'd guess, everyone in the White House is talking about the Memorandum of Understanding signed last week with the Islamic Republic of Iran, plus the Strait of Hormuz and the price of oil, etc., etc.
There's a related issue I want to ensure you're fully informed about.
Last week, an Iranian court in Qom sentenced singer Parastoo Ahmadi and members of her production team to 74 lashes each. Their crime? They had streamed a concert in which Ms. Ahmadi sang without a hijab – without covering her hair. The 2024 video went viral with some three million views on YouTube.
Not to get too graphic but flogging is extremely painful, producing open wounds that bleed and are highly prone to infection. After only seven or eight strokes, the victims often faint. The trauma can lead to prolonged anxiety, sleep disturbance, and more serious ailments.
This is not, of course, the worst that Iran's rulers have done and continue to do. You'll recall Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman who was arrested by Iran's "morality police" on September 13, 2022, for not wearing her hijab "properly." She was beaten into a coma and died three days later.
Her murder sparked mass protests which became known as the "Woman, Life, Freedom" uprising.
This past January, there were related demonstrations. The regime slaughtered tens of thousands of unarmed and peaceful protestors. Dozens of Iranian dissidents have been executed over the months since.
Will you let me have just a few more minutes to convey a little historical context for all this?
The Shah of Iran fled his country on January 16, 1979. The Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned to Iran from exile in France on Feb. 1. He quickly became the indisputable leader of what he called the "Islamic Revolution."
Against whom? Not the Shah who, as noted, was gone. No, he was declaring a jihad, a holy war, against the "Great Satan" (America) and the Little Satan (Israel).
A personal note: I arrived in Iran a few days later as a young, wet-behind-the-ears foreign correspondent working for a PBS news program in New York City.
My crew and I filmed the Ayatollah in the holy city of Qom, where a throng had gathered around the modest, flat-roofed house that served as his residence.
I watched him emerge onto the house's roof. With his black turban and flowing black cloak, a snow-white beard framing a gaunt face, he projected an austere but charismatic gravity, like a prophet from another era.
He was not a politician, seeking the approval of the crowd. Rather, it was for the crowd to seek his approval.
For a long time, he scarcely moved. Then he slowly withdrew a hand from beneath his cloak and waved it in a broad arc, acknowledging the presence of the faithful. They erupted in cheers. Women ululated. Parents lifted babies in hope of a blessing.
I'm not going to tell you I had any idea what would come next. But here is some of what unfolded.
A national referendum was held in late March. On April 1, the Islamic Republic of Iran was declared.
Within weeks, Khomeini ordered women in government offices to cover their hair. Thousands took to the streets to protest. By 1983, Iran's parliament criminalized women appearing in public without a hijab, and the Islamic Penal Code dictated up to 74 lashes for those who didn't comply.
Others were beaten, dragged to police cars, and sometimes caught with a "catchpole" (a long pole attached to a noose).
Over the nearly half a century since then, Iranians have been oppressed and immiserated, jailed and executed – Iranian women most of all.
Look, I get it: July 4th is coming up. There are midterm elections in the fall. The president wants the economy humming, gasoline prices low.
I know we can't liberate the Iranian people, but they may be able to liberate themselves with the right support. You can occasionally remind the president that he wants to help them. He said so. They heard him. He has military, economic, and intelligence tools at his disposal. Even public statements of solidarity can be of value to those under the Islamist jackboot.
One more thing, strictly between us: You were born in a Communist country. You understand that there are, in this world, people very different from you, me and other Americans – people who don't believe that "the pursuit of happiness" is an inalienable right.
Iran's current Islamic revolutionaries are not "less radicalized" than their predecessors. They're not interested in "turning over a new leaf." Nor are they "looking to help their country."
They are Khomeinists which means they are eager to kill – and die – to re-establish Islamic supremacy far and wide. To that end, they have joined an axis with other enemies of America: Chinese Communists, Russian neo-imperialists, and North Korean dynastic cultists.
Iran's rulers signed the MOU because they want time and money to sharpen their swords and harden their shields.
I'm confident you understand this. All I'm asking is that you bring your clear-eyed and worldly perspective to the people around you – as loudly as possible.
Sincerely,
Cliff