🕊️ On Iran, Israel, and the Right to Self-Defense

Dear Friends,

I don’t usually write about politics. And when I do, I try to center peace — not provocation.

Anyone who knows me knows I have always believed in the dignity of Israel, the rights of Palestinians, and the intertwined destinies of both peoples. I love Israel. I love Iran. I believe in Palestine. I believe in peace. And I believe that each nation — each people — has a right to their own story, their own future, and yes, their own defense.

Which is why I write today, with care and some sorrow, in response to the recent Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Let me be clear: I oppose the Iranian regime. Vehemently. I stand with the brave women and men who chanted “Zan, Zendegi, Azadi” — women, life, freedom. But I cannot condone this unprovoked assault.

By every credible standard, Iran was in negotiations — six rounds completed, a seventh to begin. There is no indication they were imminently building a bomb. What we saw instead was a unilateral military action, not endorsed by international law, aimed at a nation whose people have suffered enough both domestically and from outside interference.

And yes, I say this as someone who has twice walked the streets of Tehran in 2016, who has felt its poetry, its majesty, its soul. Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of my beloved Faith, called it “the Land of Ṭá” — promising it a sacred destiny. Tehran is not just a capital; it is the cradle of conscience.

Iran is not its regime. But its sovereignty matters. And no sovereign people should be punished for the sins of their state — especially not by bombs.

📜 History offers sobering reminders:

Every time regime change is forced from outside — Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan — the result is not peace. It is collapse. Iran is multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, and fragile at its borders. Destabilization would be catastrophic — not just for Iran, but for the entire region.

🕯️ And what of Reza Pahlavi?

To see him support this strike, hoping perhaps for a return to power, is heartbreaking. Kings are meant to guard their people — not sacrifice them. Meanwhile, the Israeli leadership appears increasingly untethered. The same strategic logic that flattened Gaza now targets Tehran. Civilian suffering is treated as tactical leverage. This is not defense. It is escalation. No one can call this peacemaking.

And let us be honest: Iran has responded with restraint, even now signaling efforts to limit civilian casualties. Whether tactical or moral, that decision deserves notice. What we need — urgently — is a return to the rules-based international order. Not might, but law. Not vengeance, but vision.

I write this not to inflame, but to reflect. To say: we can hold complexity. We can oppose regimes and affirm nations. We can love Israel and defend Iran’s right to exist in dignity. We can say: enough.

Let us not forget: two world wars began with regional arrogance and international ambivalence. What comes next must be peace — not posture.

Always,

Zach Zavidé

Editor, BRAHM