{"id":23649,"date":"2025-06-25T17:37:14","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T20:37:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bricspolicycenter.org\/?p=23649"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:37:14","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T20:37:14","slug":"in-the-shadow-of-the-cypress-notes-from-a-trip-to-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bricspolicycenter.org\/en\/in-the-shadow-of-the-cypress-notes-from-a-trip-to-iran\/","title":{"rendered":"In the Shadow of the Cypress: Notes from a Trip to Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"

Marta Fern\u00e1ndez<\/strong><\/h3>\n

06\/19\/2025<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

On June 18, it had been a month since I traveled to Tehran to participate in the Tehran Dialogue Forum 2025. The event brought together Iranian and foreign officials, think tank representatives, ministers, and academics \u2014 in an effort to give visibility to the country amid an adverse international context. I went as director of the BRICS Policy Center, motivated not only by Iran\u2019s growing relevance in global geopolitics \u2014 especially after joining BRICS \u2014 but also by a desire to experience the country beyond orientalist frameworks and stereotypical representations.<\/p>\n

From the start, the contrast between hospitality and hardship was striking. During my layover in Dubai, I faced the first obstacle: I was unable to exchange money for Iranian rials \u2014 a clear sign of the effects of Western sanctions on the country. But on the flight to Tehran, the attention to detail was already apparent: saffron-scented rice with lamb, warm service.<\/p>\n

I arrived in Tehran at dawn. From my hotel window, I could see arid mountains in the distance and minarets stitching the city together with their calls. Tehran greeted me with this restrained beauty \u2014 an image that encapsulated the contrasts I would encounter: the pride of a millennia-old civilization and the ongoing tension of a country that insists on existing, even as the world tries to reduce it to silence and deprivation.<\/p>\n

The forum opened with a Quranic recitation, as is customary. Soon after, President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered a powerful speech: we all live in a common house, and everyone has the right to live with dignity. \u201cNo one is more human than others,\u201d he said. According to him, violence begins when another\u2019s rights are violated. In a direct tone, he denounced the role of Western powers in fueling conflicts, pitting peoples against each other, and exploiting the region\u2019s oil \u2014 all while criminalizing Iran and selling weapons to its neighbors.<\/p>\n

In the same speech, Pezeshkian reaffirmed Iran\u2019s right to maintain a peaceful nuclear program \u2014 with applications in agriculture, industry, and healthcare \u2014 and stressed that the country does not seek nuclear weapons, based on religious principles. It was also emphasized that Iran\u2019s participation in negotiations mediated by Oman reflects its commitment to a lasting diplomatic solution \u2014 provided it is based on justice, concrete facts, and respect for national sovereignty.<\/p>\n

This commitment, however, was severely shaken by Israeli airstrikes on Iran on June 12, which targeted, though not exclusively, nuclear and military facilities, resulting in the deaths of scientists and senior officers. The severity of the attacks was seen in Tehran as a direct violation of national sovereignty, leading to the suspension of negotiations as long as the Israeli aggression continues. As Foreign Minister Esmail Baghaei said in a press conference: \u201cIt is meaningless to engage in dialogue with the party [the United States] that is the main supporter and accomplice of the aggressor.\u201d Despite the suspension, Iran\u2019s official stance remains: it is still willing to negotiate \u2014 but will not accept any process carried out under coercion or in the face of international silence regarding these aggressions.<\/p>\n

The urgency of the situation in Gaza permeated the entire forum, marked by firm statements against systemic violence and the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe. The condemnation of the genocide of the Palestinian people was unanimous among participants. Differences arose, however, regarding proposed solutions to the conflict. While some Gulf countries support the two-state solution \u2014 with a Palestinian state coexisting with Israel within the pre-1967 borders \u2014 Iran insists that any fair and lasting solution must involve an end to the occupation, the return of refugees, and full self-determination of the Palestinian people over all their historical territory.<\/p>\n

Beyond the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, the issue of regional energy resources also played a central role in the discussions. The Iranian president stressed that without the energy flowing from the Persian Gulf, the West would come to a standstill. Pezeshkian denounced the strategic use of arms sales by Western countries in exchange for oil, arguing that this logic perpetuates regional instability. In light of the recent Israeli attacks on Iranian targets, Tehran authorities have begun to consider the possibility of closing the Strait of Hormuz \u2014 through which about 30% of the world\u2019s oil supply passes. This threat reinforced the strategic importance of the route and reignited global concerns about the impact of a potential blockade on energy flows.<\/p>\n

Behind the scenes at the Forum, the atmosphere was tense and revealing. On the first day, upon arrival at the conference center, we had to leave our bags and phones outside. Security was tight, with thorough inspections at every reentry. At the time, the protocol seemed excessively strict \u2014 but weeks later, after the Israeli attack, the level of vigilance surrounding that meeting became clearer.<\/p>\n

During forum breaks, many university students approached with questions about BRICS. After all, Iran was now a member. This new scenario brings us to an uncomfortable but urgent question: Can Brazil, as host of the BRICS summit on July 6 and 7, contain the geopolitical shift shaping recent discussions and instead advance a positive agenda centered on development and South-South cooperation? Historically, BRICS has championed a world governed by rules and respect for sovereignty. But to what extent will its members be willing to \u201ctake that fight\u201d to the United States?<\/p>\n

At the end of the seminar, as part of the cultural program, the Iranian short film “In the Shadow of the Cypress” was screened. Without a single word, the animation portrays the relationship between a father and daughter, isolated by the sea, grappling with the traumas of war. A stranded whale appears near their home \u2014 impossible to rescue with the few resources they have \u2014 becoming a symbol of helplessness, loss, but also persistence in caring, even when all seems lost. In the end, the father ties his old boat to the whale\u2019s body and lets it sink \u2014 a gesture of renunciation, sacrifice, and reparation. He releases the past to free his daughter, the animal, and perhaps himself. The whale returns to the sea. The daughter remains. And the silence of the ocean holds what was left behind.<\/p>\n

In Persian culture, the cypress tree \u2014 slender and resilient, as symbolized in the film\u2019s title \u2014 stands for resistance and dignity. Thin and casting no shade, it remains upright. Perhaps this is what the future demands of us: that we release the weights that drag us down, but continue to stand \u2014 insisting on dialogue, on listening, and on building a true common home for humans, animals, and plants, as the Iranian president emphasized during the Forum.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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