About Me

I was born in 1984 in New York City to parents who fled the Islamic takeover of Iran just two years prior. They arrived in America with no wealth, no certainty, only the enduring hope that freedom could offer a future. Their resilience shaped my path. They are the embodiment of the American Dream, and I am the legacy of that sacrifice.

Persian was the language of my home, spoken with reverence, taught with purpose. I was enrolled in Persian school so I would never forget my roots. As a child, I gave classroom presentations on Iran, eager to share the beauty of a homeland I had yet to see at the time but deeply felt. In college, I served as treasurer and event organizer for the Persian Cultural Association at SUNY Stony Brook University, committed to preserving our culture and creating community.

When the Green Movement erupted in 2009, I, like many, felt a spark of hope, but it was brief. The heavy machinery of tyranny proved deeply entrenched. I realized that real change would require more than protests. It would require vision. Clarity. Persistence.

In 2022, that vision crystallized. The death of Mahsa Jina Amini ignited a global movement. I took to the streets of New York with my camera, documenting a historic uprising with powerful images and visceral video. What began as protest turned into purpose, that's when The New Persian Times was born.

I helped lead and organized the March to the United Nations from Times Square, where my speech garnered national attention. It led to multiple appearances on CBS News and Iran International, broadcasts that carried our voice directly into homes across Iran.

To further explore and elevate our collective story, I launched The New Persian Times Podcast - a space to unpack the complexities of Iran, platform voices from the diaspora, and examine the cultural, political, and spiritual dimensions of our shared struggle. It is both an archive and an awakening.

The New Persian Times is more than a media platform. It is a golden bridge, between generations, between continents, between a painful past and a possible future. It is a movement grounded in truth, identity, and the unwavering belief that Iran will be free.

This is the story of my life.

But more importantly—this is the story of us.