Two Iranian-born Prince Albert residents say the current war cannot be understood without examining the role of religion in governance, saying the country’s political system is tied to both internal repression and the wider conflict now unfolding.
Zeinab Golshani and her friend Amir Esmaeili, who is identified by a pseudonym due to safety concerns, said people inside Iran are facing a situation where they are caught between airstrikes and government control, with daily life becoming increasingly difficult.
Golshani said communication has become more restricted in recent weeks as conditions on the ground have worsened.
“The internet shutdown is way worse than before,” she said. “People cannot connect unless they pay a lot, and even then maybe just for a few minutes.”
She said the situation is affecting people trying to understand what is going on around them.
“It is getting harder for them to know what is really happening,” she said.
Golshani said civilians are being affected not because they are the intended targets, but because of where military activity is taking place.
“They are hiding near civilians, near civilian houses,” she said. “They are using the civilian people as a shield.”
Esmaeili said the presence of security forces inside cities has added to fear on the ground.
“There are a lot of military checkpoints,” he said. “They stop the cars, they search the cars, they want to make people fearful.”
He said the people are frequently stopped and questioned, creating an atmosphere of control even away from active conflict zones.
Golshani said the crisis cannot be separated from the country’s political system, which she described as shaped by religious authority.
“The problem is when religion becomes extreme and takes power,” she said. “When that happens, it turns into repression.”
She said many Iranians believe the solution lies in separating religion from governance.
“Any religion should not be mixed with the government,” Golshani said. “If someone wants to be Muslim or Christian or whatever, it is their choice.”
She said Iran’s cultural identity has been affected over decades by a system that does not reflect the country’s traditions.
“Iran has its own culture, its own history,” she said. “But this system is trying to change that.”
Esmaeili said many Iranians want to reclaim that identity and separate themselves from the current political structure.
“People are asking to be Iranian again, not Islamic Iranian”
Both said the war is also creating economic ripple effects that reach beyond the region, including impacts felt locally in Prince Albert.
Esmaeili pointed to rising fuel costs as one example of how global events are affecting daily life far from the conflict. He said disruptions to shipping routes and energy supplies are already being felt worldwide, and those impacts are already visible locally, pointing to recent changes in fuel prices in Prince Albert.
“When the Strait of Hormuz is affected, everything changes, Even gas prices in Prince Albert went up,” he said. “I think it was around 120 before,” he said. “After that, it went up. This is not just a regional issue anymore, It affects everyone.”
Easmaeili said the situation in the region is being shaped by broader strategic interests, with the Iranian government attempting to maintain control.
“They want to make chaos in the region and also in the world, so they can stay in power,” he said.
Golshani said many Iranians draw a clear distinction between the country’s people and its government and want that understood internationally.
“This war is not against the people of Iran,” she said. “It is against the Islamic Republic.”
She said communication limits inside Iran make it harder for people to share what is happening on the ground.
“They have to pay a lot, and it’s like, just maybe they can do just two minutes or three minutes, and it’s the only way that they can send like videos out, or they can just talk and say what’s going on,” she said.
Golshani said this has made it difficult for people inside the country to tell their own stories to the outside world, contributing to misunderstandings internationally.
She said many people outside Iran do not fully understand the difference between opposing the government and supporting war.
“If they stand with the people of Iran, they stand with humanity,” she said.
Both said opinions differ among Iranians about what should come next, especially when it comes to leadership and political transition.
Golshani expressed support for Reza Pahlavi as a possible transitional figure, while Esmaeili said his support is more cautious and tied to what he sees as current public acceptance, like a proper democracy.
“For now, he may be the only option people are talking about, but what matters is what comes after,” Esmaeili said. “Most people outside of Iran diaspora are accepting Reza Pahlavi as their transitional leader. But in the future, I don’t want him to be another dictator.
Both said the future of Iran should not depend on a single leader, but on a system that reflects the will of its people.
“It should not be about one person,” Golshani said. “It should be about the people.”
Golshani and Esmaeili said they believe there are long-standing misunderstandings about Iran’s past, particularly how the period before the current government is portrayed internationally.
They said widely shared narratives about lavish royal events, including references to large spending, are often taken out of context and do not reflect the deeper causes of unrest.
“There were a lot of propaganda against it, And in those years, communist parties, Islamist parties in Iran and all over the world have a lot of underground power, they had a lot of magazines,” Esmaeili said. ” They have their own systems. They have their own networks. And they were against, you know, getting investments from West.”
Easmaeli said those events were also intended to highlight Iranian culture and attract international attention.
“It was around $50 million for a monarch to do a party like, like cultural party, It was somehow an investment in tourism,” he said. “They chose some kind of parties, We call it the ‘Jasn-hay-e 2500 sale’. It means 2500 years of cultural celebrations. They were trying to show the world our culture.”
As the conflict continues, both said ordinary citizens are bearing the brunt, dealing with uncertainty and daily challenges.
“This situation is affecting everyday life,” Esmaeili said. “People are just trying to get through it.
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
