“Marg bar Amrika (Death to America)! Marg bar Israel (Death to Israel)!” were words chanted by elementary school children in Iran as part of their daily morning routine. This rule was implemented under the Islamic Republic regime of Iran—mandating that citizens were forbidden from speaking against the government and instead had to to express hatred towards the country’s enemies.

At McLean, students who came from Iran have unique experiences from their time in the country.

“When I used to go to high school in Iran, many of us were against the government, but we couldn’t talk about it,” junior Samyar Zarghami said, who moved from Tehran in July. “When we grew up, we stopped saying ‘[Death to America, Death to Israel],’ but we had some students who supported the regime and would still say it. We still didn’t talk against the government because they would punish us.”

Oftentimes, any comment from citizens on the government’s situation would lead to trouble.

“At school, I was talking with my friend about how the political situation [of the country] was bad, and how the regime needs to be changed, and my counselor heard me,” Zarghami said. “My counselor reported it. I got into trouble and my parents were [going back and forth] to a police center to explain why I said that, [because of] what I said and what I believed in.”

Students who publicly refused to chant “Death to America, Death to Israel” would also cause tension.

“One time the principal told me to say ‘Death to America and Israel,’ and I told him, ‘Why? I don’t want to say that,’ and the principal gave me extra homework [for that],” said junior Shayan, who asked for his last name to be omitted for his family’s safety.

The government would also monitor citizens’ messages and digital footprint.

“My friends started texting about political stuff and scheduled a meeting to talk against the government,” Zarghami said. “The government found out, and the police gathered [at the meeting location] and arrested my friends.”

Throughout the past few decades, many protests have occurred in Iran to protest against the political and economic situation of the country. One of the most major protests was for Mahsa Amini, a woman who died in 2022 while under arrest for not properly wearing her hijab.

“I knew Mahsa Amini like a sister, because for Iranians, anyone who got caught or killed [by the government] are like our brothers and sisters,” Shayan said. “The Mahsa Amini protest was the first one [I participated in]; it was on a street near my house. One of the police wanted to hit my chest and my left shoulder, but my friend saved me and he got arrested for 15 hours.”

Before the death of Mahsa Amini, the Islamic Republic mandated all women to wear a hijab. However, after she died, the rule was lifted due to the widespread protests against the hijab occurring.

“Seeing a person wearing a hijab didn’t trigger any hatred [before Amini’s death],” said Aliza*, who also used to live in Tehran and asked to remain anonymous for her family’s safety. “But now after [her death] and the haram police, everything has changed, and people see the hijab as a sign of division.”

Protests would often become violent due to police enforcement.

“The police wanted to calm the protest down, so they were kicking people, shooting people and pouring hot water on people,” Zarghami said. “I went to [a protest] with two of my friends and my Persian language teacher. The police [hit my teacher] with a bat, and his cheeks were wounded and he was bleeding. He was at school [the day after], and then the school fired him for participating in the protest.”

Aside from free speech issues, the economic state of the country has also been struggling. The inflation rate in Iran has reportedly been increasing significantly, making it hard for citizens to afford many goods. According to Iran International, an Iranian news channel located in London, the average annual inflation rate in Iran increased by 42.2% as of late December.

“Inflation has recently gotten worse, and [currently] it’s the worst we’ve ever experienced,” Zarghami said. “I started to feel the inflation when I wanted to move to America. We had to change our currency to dollars, which made [tickets] hard [to afford] for my family.”

Over time, Iran has historically had tensions with Israel, which has impacted the daily lives of civilians. In June 2025, these tensions worsened when a 12-day period of war between Israel and Iran sparked over Iran’s nuclear plans.

“I heard a bang from the west of Tehran [the capital city of Iran] at an oil station, and then I heard rockets in the air,” Shayan said. “Everyone was asleep; it was like 5 a.m. Then at 12 p.m., I called my dad and was like, ‘Where are you?,’ and he told me bombings were all over the highway, surrounding him, but thank God he got back home.”

Shayan and his family then evacuated the building for safety due to the consistent bombings.

“We went out to a garden because it was a safer space, and we stayed there for 30 minutes,” Shayan said. “I heard bombs [outside] around the house, but when my dad came back we went back inside the home.”

Although the internet was weak during this time, some citizens of Tehran were able to watch the news about the situation.

“On the TV, some groups had hacked the Islamic Republic. The Islamic Republic was talking about winning the war and beating Israel, and then the whole screen went black and a guy with a mask came on the screen and said, ‘Don’t worry, we are winning the war [against] the Islamic Republic,’” Shayan said.

The next few days were rough for citizens who were living in the middle of the ongoing military conflict.

“Everything was stressful. We couldn’t get out of the house, and every second you could hear rockets and bombs,” Shayan said. “I didn’t leave my home for around nine days.”

Shayan and his whole family, besides his father, were already planning to move to America in the midst of the war, in search of better opportunities. However, their initial flight was canceled.

“We rented a car and traveled for 30 hours to Tabriz, a city in the west of Iran,” Shayan said. “We left on the 10th day [of the war], so we heard bombings every second on the way.”

Shayan and his family reached an airport, allowing them to leave the country and enter Turkey.

“I was pretty sure that I was not coming back,” Shayan said. “I was sad for myself, leaving my home and my father.”

After spending two nights in Turkey, Shayan and his family were able to take a flight to America, choosing to settle in McLean.

“I now talk with my father for [only] around three minutes per day because the internet [in Iran] is so bad,” Shayan said. “I wish he could come here, but he can’t because of his work.”

As the economic and social struggles in Iran persist, many Iranians are hopeful for the future of their country.

“Iran is a beautiful country with a really strong culture,” Zarghami said. “[Despite] the situation the government has made, we all love our home country.”