Iranian political and human rights activist Mehdi Mahmoudian has been in and out of his country's prisons over decades for daring to dissent.
On February 17, he was released from his latest stint. He had been arrested for being among 17 political activists, artists and human rights lawyers who signed an open letter blaming then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for the killing of thousands of anti-government protesters.
Eleven days after Mahmoudian's release from the Nowshahr prison, the U.S. and Israel launched a war on Iran. Khamenei was killed on the first day, but the conflict is widening.
Iran is retaliating against its Gulf neighbors, key U.S. ally Azerbaijan says it was hit by Iranian drones, Israel is striking Iran-back Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and European countries are rushing to deploy military assets to the region.
"Unfortunately, I don't see a bright future," Mahmoudian told Morning Edition host Leila Fadel. "If we cannot break this cycle of violence, it will go on forever."
Mahmoudian is also the co-writer — alongside director Jafar Panahi — of It Was Just an Accident, a contender for best international feature film and best original screenplay at the Oscars on March 15. He shared with NPR his thoughts on this precarious chapter of Iran's history.
Listen to the full interview by clicking on the blue play button above.
The broadcast version of this story was produced by Lindsay Totty and Milton Guevara. Reena Advani and Olivia Hampton edited.
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