<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Helmet to Heels®]]></title><description><![CDATA[H2H is a social impact media studio that redefines how audiences engage with news by seamlessly blending fashion, travel, and current events. Founded by Emmy-nominated journalist Suzanne Kianpour, our solution-based storytelling advances global diplomacy.]]></description><link>https://www.helmettoheels.com</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rrxT!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbadb8bcf-851e-4f84-adcf-204d866fb9c6_500x500.png</url><title>Helmet to Heels®</title><link>https://www.helmettoheels.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 15 Apr 2026 08:22:38 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.helmettoheels.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[KianpourWorld LLC ]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[suzanne@kianpourworld.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[suzanne@kianpourworld.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Suzanne Kianpour]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Suzanne Kianpour]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[suzanne@kianpourworld.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[suzanne@kianpourworld.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Suzanne Kianpour]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[🎙️The Ensemble: Swalwell that ends well ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Weekend wraps with embattled Democrat congressman suspending CA gubernatorial campaign plus JD Vance returns home 0 for 2: no Iran peace deal and a historic loss for Hungarian ally Viktor Orban]]></description><link>https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/the-ensemble-swalwell-that-ends-well</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/the-ensemble-swalwell-that-ends-well</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Suzanne Kianpour]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 04:11:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gJDB!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa1f2f115-6618-4346-a2be-53100a15956b_1440x810.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Is it just me or was this week three years long? Can you believe it was only Tuesday when the President of the United States posted a threat to end an entire civilization in Iran? Only to then bait and switch and attempt to gaslight us by declaring the regime has in fact been changed after a Pakistan brokered two week ceasefire was announced? Followed by beefing with none other than the Pope - the latest drop being tonight&#8217;s <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116394704213456431">Truth Social post</a>  in another episode of &#8216;Is This Real?&#8217;</p><p>In the midst of covering possibly the obliteration of my paternal ancestral home (from which I&#8217;m exiled for being a journalist) by the President of my birthplace and homeland, I received a text from a former colleague about another earthquake brewing: The Curious Case of Eric Swalwell.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.helmettoheels.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Helmet to Heels&#174; is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gJDB!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa1f2f115-6618-4346-a2be-53100a15956b_1440x810.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gJDB!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa1f2f115-6618-4346-a2be-53100a15956b_1440x810.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gJDB!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa1f2f115-6618-4346-a2be-53100a15956b_1440x810.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gJDB!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa1f2f115-6618-4346-a2be-53100a15956b_1440x810.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gJDB!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa1f2f115-6618-4346-a2be-53100a15956b_1440x810.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gJDB!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa1f2f115-6618-4346-a2be-53100a15956b_1440x810.webp" width="728" height="409.5" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gJDB!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa1f2f115-6618-4346-a2be-53100a15956b_1440x810.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gJDB!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa1f2f115-6618-4346-a2be-53100a15956b_1440x810.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gJDB!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa1f2f115-6618-4346-a2be-53100a15956b_1440x810.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gJDB!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa1f2f115-6618-4346-a2be-53100a15956b_1440x810.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Eric Swalwell / AP Photo</figcaption></figure></div><p> &#8220;Interesting that, as I read, rumors of #metoo allegations against Rep. Eric Swalwell are shaking up the California governor&#8217;s race&#8230;. You certainly got that vibe off him, didn&#8217;t you?&#8221; He was referring to when together we met the Democrat congressman from California while reporting a story nearly a decade ago now. Men especially pick up on these things and while the congressman was ultimately respectful with me, maintaining a professional rapport as a Capitol Hill reporter,  he was known to make moves on women and getting his way - consensually, to my knowledge. </p><p>Until the story of a former staffer dropped <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/eric-swalwell-allegations-22198271.php">alleging sexual assault.</a> We tried getting Swalwell on our podcast but my texts went opened and unanswered, including what we know to be his preferred method of comms as of late: Snapchat DM.</p><p>He&#8217;s not the only congressman whose personal life is threatening his professional one, with neither party spared. Texan Republican lawmaker <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rep-tony-gonzales-hit-house-ethics-probe-over-sexual-misconduct-allegations">Tony Gonzales is facing a House ethics probe </a>after a staffer he admited to having a sexual relationship with, committed suicide. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yq9i!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdff9c04d-5a74-4e83-af92-99ed628ebb3a_2560x1707.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yq9i!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdff9c04d-5a74-4e83-af92-99ed628ebb3a_2560x1707.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yq9i!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdff9c04d-5a74-4e83-af92-99ed628ebb3a_2560x1707.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yq9i!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdff9c04d-5a74-4e83-af92-99ed628ebb3a_2560x1707.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yq9i!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdff9c04d-5a74-4e83-af92-99ed628ebb3a_2560x1707.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yq9i!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdff9c04d-5a74-4e83-af92-99ed628ebb3a_2560x1707.jpeg" width="725" height="483.4993131868132" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yq9i!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdff9c04d-5a74-4e83-af92-99ed628ebb3a_2560x1707.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yq9i!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdff9c04d-5a74-4e83-af92-99ed628ebb3a_2560x1707.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yq9i!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdff9c04d-5a74-4e83-af92-99ed628ebb3a_2560x1707.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yq9i!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdff9c04d-5a74-4e83-af92-99ed628ebb3a_2560x1707.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Tony Gonzales, AP Images</figcaption></figure></div><p>Recently I was watching a film where a hetero courtship encounter was so foreign it dawned on me how much flirtation has evolved in the post #metoo era. Has romance become a casualty of predators? Times columnist Evan Barker <a href="https://x.com/evanwch/status/2043381128124678388?s=20">seems to think so. </a></p><h3><strong>THE JEWISH SUMMER CAMP MOVIE YOU DIDN&#8217;T KNOW YOU NEEDED</strong></h3><p>Speaking of movies, before I move on to the Middle East, I let my hair down on Friday night and went to the NoVA film festival where for once I was attending as a guest and not the Executive Producer. Our supportive and generous H2H paid subscriber Shai Korman has produced a hilarious and wholesome film about Jewish summer camp called <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31145438/?ref_=mv_close">The Floaters</a>,  featuring Netflix&#8217;s &#8216;Nobody Wants This&#8217; fan favorite Jackie Tohn. In an era of divisive headlines surrounding Israel, it was a breath of fresh air and humanizing reminder of the connective tissue that binds us together across faiths and identities: the longing for belonging and the blessing of finding your tribe. Also the Camp Daveed merch is H2H approved. In fact it was spotted at Dulles, today. Head over to the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/helmettoheels/">Helmet to Heels Instagram account </a>to catch the story before it disappears. And make sure you&#8217;re following ! </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HhJW!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0760bc3-67bb-48b0-9f74-d8a91feff705_1902x796.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HhJW!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0760bc3-67bb-48b0-9f74-d8a91feff705_1902x796.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HhJW!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0760bc3-67bb-48b0-9f74-d8a91feff705_1902x796.jpeg 848w, 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class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Scene from The Floaters</figcaption></figure></div><h3>EVIN PRISON SHORT DOC GOES ON FESTIVAL TOUR AS IRANIAN POLITICAL PRISONERS IN GRAVE DANGER</h3><p>While we&#8217;re thrilled to announce our film <a href="http://www.thatnightdoc.com">That Night</a> will be screening at more festivals this month including Dallas International Film Festival and Hot Docs in Toronto, the subject of our film - political prisoners in Evin Prison - are in far more danger now than they were before the war started. As President Trump declares &#8216;regime change&#8217; the so called &#8216;less radical&#8217; group they&#8217;ve left in charge are calling for <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/world/irans-judiciary-chief-executions-expediated/">expedited executions</a> to prevent an uprising. I joined MSNow&#8217;s Antonia Hylton to discuss how any talk of a peace deal without human rights on the table, is not peace. Even MAGA isn&#8217;t buying it. One supporter sent me an IG DM saying: &#8220;regime change is the only way Trump can win this politically.&#8221; </p><div class="instagram-embed-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;instagram_id&quot;:&quot;DXA11N4DbmM&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Suzanne Kianpour on Instagram: \&quot;As we await an update from Isla&#8230;&quot;,&quot;author_name&quot;:&quot;@kianpourworld&quot;,&quot;thumbnail_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/__ss-rehost__IG-meta-DXA11N4DbmM.jpg&quot;,&quot;timestamp&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true}" data-component-name="InstagramToDOM"><iframe class="instagram-embed-frame" srcdoc="<!doctype html>
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</html>" title="Instagram post" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="true" allow="encrypted-media" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox" height="520px" loading="lazy"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">(function() {
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  })();</script></div><p>Of course what&#8217;s abundantly clear is the Iranian regime doesn&#8217;t actually want peace. After all, the former Iranian foreign minister <a href="https://www.foreignaffairs.com/middle-east/how-iran-should-end-war-javad-zarif">Dr Javad Zarif wrote in Foreign Affairs magazine</a> that it was time to lay down their arms and end the 47 year war with America. He&#8217;s right in that it&#8217;s the only way the regime would survive, but I was also shocked to see it and wondered if he had IRGC backing for it. His email reponse to my request for him to join our Global Power Shifts podcast indicated he did not; he told me he&#8217;s not able to get security clearance for minimal arrangements - whereas his successor Foreign Minister Araghchi clearly can. Unsurprising then that in the days that followed, hardliners called Zarif a traitor. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!b6PW!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2730dcd-327f-4501-8515-063433358a72_596x397.avif" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!b6PW!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2730dcd-327f-4501-8515-063433358a72_596x397.avif 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!b6PW!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2730dcd-327f-4501-8515-063433358a72_596x397.avif 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!b6PW!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2730dcd-327f-4501-8515-063433358a72_596x397.avif 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!b6PW!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2730dcd-327f-4501-8515-063433358a72_596x397.avif 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!b6PW!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2730dcd-327f-4501-8515-063433358a72_596x397.avif" width="596" height="397" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!b6PW!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2730dcd-327f-4501-8515-063433358a72_596x397.avif 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!b6PW!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2730dcd-327f-4501-8515-063433358a72_596x397.avif 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!b6PW!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2730dcd-327f-4501-8515-063433358a72_596x397.avif 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!b6PW!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2730dcd-327f-4501-8515-063433358a72_596x397.avif 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Persian sign reads &#8216;Death to American Zarif&#8217;</figcaption></figure></div><h3>JD VANCE WENT TO PAKISTAN AND ALL HE GOT WAS A HANDSHAKE</h3><p>The Vice President after flying all the way to Islamabad while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Trump enjoyed a UFC match in Miami together, has returned with no diplomatic breakthrough other than being the highest ranking US official to shake an Iranian regime official hand since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. In 2013 when I was covering the UN General Assembly, President Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had a phone call. That was the beginning of a thaw until Trump took office in 2017. </p><p>US officials say among the factors leading to the peace talks breaking down is the Iranian regime&#8217;s refusal to end funding for Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. Meanwhile the average Iranian citizen is struggling. If you actually care about governing rather than power, you empower your own people first. This is why Iranians in country poured into the streets calling for an end to the Islamic Republic. And they were massacred in masse because of it. The Iranian regime is showing it cares more about exporting its Islamic revolution to Arabs in the region, than taking care of Iranians.</p><p>If you want to understand more about what real Iranians inside the country think, feel and want, listen to our deep dive with <span class="mention-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Rouzy&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:65591385,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;user&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:null,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c722e36f-ff53-4075-b6f1-b0252dbebdc1_3872x2592.jpeg&quot;,&quot;uuid&quot;:&quot;a56504fc-ef32-40ec-8bb1-139325c355d9&quot;}" data-component-name="MentionToDOM"></span> Vafaie who spent the last few years of upheavel inside the country, living the story. </p><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;8a8ceabb-3fca-42de-8aa2-4d8c4ed260be&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:&quot;Watch now&quot;,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;lg&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Why Iranian 'Regime Change' is a Lie&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:643548,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Suzanne Kianpour&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;- Founder &amp; CEO, Helmet to Heels&#8482;\n- Host, \&quot;News with Suz LIVE&#8221;\n- Shortlisted Presenter of the Year AIBs 'Women Building Peace&#8217; + &#8216;Out of the Shadows&#8217; re Iran vs Israel \n- Recovering BBC Capitol Hill Correspondent &quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2c31e425-f1c7-4c47-a90e-d222983a49aa_400x400.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null},{&quot;id&quot;:65591385,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Rouzy&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Rouzy Vafaie is an American-Iranian writer and businessman with a background in political science and international affairs. He writes about power &amp; politics, identity as a global nomad, unfiltered essays, and survival in unstable systems.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c722e36f-ff53-4075-b6f1-b0252dbebdc1_3872x2592.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-04-08T18:21:03.388Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substack-video.s3.amazonaws.com/video_upload/post/193597605/48986f83-f582-4b83-9512-0726e9f96d3f/transcoded-1775672149.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/why-iranian-regime-change-is-a-lie&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:&quot;News with Suz &quot;,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:&quot;48986f83-f582-4b83-9512-0726e9f96d3f&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:193597605,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;podcast&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:3,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:1305237,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Helmet to Heels&#174;&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rrxT!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbadb8bcf-851e-4f84-adcf-204d866fb9c6_500x500.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><h3>HISTORIC HUNGARIAN UPSET AS PRO PUTIN LEADER AND TRUMP ALLY VIKTOR ORBAN IS OUSTED AFTER 16 YEARS</h3><p>Rouzy was also on the ground in Budapest and witnessed an electric vibe tonight:  democracy in action as Hungarians voted for change and a clear message that<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jd-vance-hungary-orban-election-campaign-08e0929e9c8b3ae4302ae4e8c0393d5e"> JD Vance&#8217;s controversial trip and endorsement </a>couldn&#8217;t save Orban from the will of the people, who turned out in record numbers at a historic 78%. </p><p>Rouzy is starting to remind us Forrest Gump. 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  })();</script></div><p>And finally, for fashion - our sartorial therapy, emotional support through chaotic headlines, the balm when the world is burning up. This week was bridal fashion week and as my sister Marva&#8217;s maid of honor (and myself still a newlywed!) I was excited to discover a new collection by Iranian designer Sareh Nouri &#8220;Persian Muse &#8211; A Tribute to the Women Who Rise.&#8221; The collection is in honor of the women &#8220;who carry  strength and softness simultaneously. Who honors where they come from while boldly stepping into who they are becoming. Sareh and I are now cooking up something of impact, so stay tuned. </p><div class="instagram-embed-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;instagram_id&quot;:&quot;DW6TlACjg17&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;North Carolina Film + Digital Wedding Photographer on Instagram&#8230;&quot;,&quot;author_name&quot;:&quot;@samanthacouickphoto&quot;,&quot;thumbnail_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/__ss-rehost__IG-meta-DW6TlACjg17.jpg&quot;,&quot;timestamp&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true}" data-component-name="InstagramToDOM"><iframe class="instagram-embed-frame" srcdoc="<!doctype html>
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</html>" title="Instagram post" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="true" allow="encrypted-media" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox" height="520px" loading="lazy"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">(function() {
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  })();</script></div><p>To end on a saucy note, our favorite find of the week is classic H2H functional, modular, fashionable made for the girls and guys on the go: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/koko.joris/reel/DU-vqyMgiW2/?hl=fa">sushi dipping rings! </a></p><p>Until next time, in the words of the icon that is Miranda Priestly as we impatiently count down to the Devil Wears Prada 2 premiere: that&#8217;s all. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3edr!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ce3e0a9-f3dd-4a0f-ade8-fc7bc84e1211_500x206.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3edr!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ce3e0a9-f3dd-4a0f-ade8-fc7bc84e1211_500x206.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3edr!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ce3e0a9-f3dd-4a0f-ade8-fc7bc84e1211_500x206.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3edr!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ce3e0a9-f3dd-4a0f-ade8-fc7bc84e1211_500x206.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3edr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ce3e0a9-f3dd-4a0f-ade8-fc7bc84e1211_500x206.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3edr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ce3e0a9-f3dd-4a0f-ade8-fc7bc84e1211_500x206.webp" width="500" height="206" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5ce3e0a9-f3dd-4a0f-ade8-fc7bc84e1211_500x206.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:206,&quot;width&quot;:500,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:243880,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helmettoheels.com/i/194023910?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ce3e0a9-f3dd-4a0f-ade8-fc7bc84e1211_500x206.webp&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3edr!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ce3e0a9-f3dd-4a0f-ade8-fc7bc84e1211_500x206.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3edr!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ce3e0a9-f3dd-4a0f-ade8-fc7bc84e1211_500x206.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3edr!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ce3e0a9-f3dd-4a0f-ade8-fc7bc84e1211_500x206.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3edr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ce3e0a9-f3dd-4a0f-ade8-fc7bc84e1211_500x206.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.helmettoheels.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Helmet to Heels&#174; is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[From the Laboratory to the Presidency: a unique perspective on the global chessboard]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mauritius&#8217;s first female president on power, diplomacy and Africa&#8217;s next chapter]]></description><link>https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/from-the-laboratory-to-the-presidency</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/from-the-laboratory-to-the-presidency</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Suzanne Kianpour]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 01:11:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/youtube/w_728,c_limit/eC4wMjnlRs8" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Ameenah Gurib-Fakim is more than a former head of state revisiting old battles.</p><p>During a <strong>Global Power Shifts</strong> conversation with Suzanne Kianpour and Jim Stenman, Mauritius&#8217;s first female president speaks like someone still fully engaged with the pressures bearing down on small states, African leadership and the fight for credibility in a rougher world. Her starting point is simple and striking: <strong>&#8220;There is a global reckoning that the world is changing.&#8221;</strong></p><div id="youtube2-eC4wMjnlRs8" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;eC4wMjnlRs8&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/eC4wMjnlRs8?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><p><strong>A non-traditional path to power</strong></p><p>Her own path into power bypassed convention. She avoided party structures and the usual political apprenticeship, entering politics instead through science, academia and entrepreneurship.</p><p>&#8220;There never has been any plan,&#8221; she says. &#8220;It has all been a series of opportunities,&#8221; shaped by risk-taking. That history gives her voice a different kind of authority. She speaks less like a career politician and more like someone who has spent years connecting ideas, institutions and public life.</p><p><strong>The &#8220;three hats&#8221; of African leadership</strong></p><p>Since leaving office, she remains &#8220;very passionate about Africa,&#8221; travelling widely and speaking on women, science and public life. She neatly describes herself as wearing &#8220;three hats&#8221;: academic, entrepreneur and political figure.</p><p>So she grounds her arguments about Africa in reality rather than sentiment, rooting her views in institutions, education, capital and trade. This is the long work of building states that actually deliver.</p><p><strong>Mauritius: the &#8220;chess board&#8221; of the Indian Ocean</strong></p><p>Mauritius sits at the heart of this argument. Gurib-Fakim describes it as &#8220;a very small country&#8221; but also as &#8220;the star and the key of the Indian Ocean.&#8221; She speaks of an ocean once seen as peaceful now turning into &#8220;a big chess board.&#8221;</p><p>While multiple powers manoeuvre, Mauritius sits &#8220;right in the middle.&#8221; That takes the country out of the &#8216;postcard&#8217; category and places it inside one of the most contested strategic locations today.</p><p><strong>The strategic weight of Diego Garcia</strong></p><p>This also explains why the row over the future of the Chagos Islands and Diego Garcia now carry more weight than a narrow sovereignty dispute. The base serves as a vital &#8220;unsinkable aircraft carrier,&#8221; a joint UK-US military facility that allows the West to project power across the Middle East and South Asia.</p><p>However, the ground beneath the base is shifting:</p><ul><li><p><strong>The 2025 treaty:</strong> In May 2025, the UK signed a treaty to return sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius. The deal includes a 99-year lease to keep the base operational.</p></li><li><p><strong>The 2026 missile strike:</strong> The stakes turned lethal on March 20, 2026, when Iran launched ballistic missiles toward Diego Garcia. While U.S. forces intercepted the attack, it proved the base is now a primary target in a live global contest.</p></li></ul><p><strong>The Trump-Starmer fallout</strong></p><p>The planned return of the islands has sparked a rift between U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Trump has condemned the deal as an &#8220;act of total weakness,&#8221; arguing that Mauritian sovereignty could allow rivals like China to set up surveillance outposts on the surrounding islands.</p><p>The fallout has even bled into other territories. Trump has linked the UK&#8217;s &#8220;surrender&#8221; of Chagos to his renewed pressure to acquire <strong>Greenland</strong>, citing the deal as a reason the U.S. must expand its own strategic footprint. This leaves Mauritius caught in a diplomatic crossfire between its Western partners while trying to secure its own territorial integrity.</p><p><strong>Diplomacy over theatre</strong></p><p>What stands out is Gurib-Fakim&#8217;s restraint. She speaks firmly about sovereignty, yet her instinct drives her to call for diplomacy. Asked what she would say to Donald Trump, she avoids dramatic statements: &#8220;Let&#8217;s encourage discussion and let&#8217;s get back to the table through diplomacy.&#8221;</p><p>Smaller states gain little from noise. They gain from steadiness, patience and a clear reading of the room.</p><p><strong>The myth of the &#8220;Mauritian miracle&#8221;</strong></p><p>For decades, economists have pointed to the &#8220;Mauritian miracle&#8221;: the island&#8217;s rapid leap from a struggling, sugar-dependent colony to a high-income, diversified economy. It is often cited as the gold standard for African development.</p><p>But Gurib-Fakim pushes back on the clich&#233;.</p><p><strong>&#8220;There has never been a miracle,&#8221; she says. &#8220;There has only been strategic decisions taken.&#8221;</strong></p><p>That applies beyond Mauritius: it suggests that African progress requires more than branding or &#8220;luck&#8221;; it requires governments that make better decisions, deepen regional ties and create conditions where talent can actually be used.</p><p><strong>Science as a tool for sovereignty</strong></p><p>Her scientific background sharpens her argument. In linking science to food security, water, energy and land rights, she argues that women need not just representation, but &#8220;the tools of science&#8221; to solve the continent&#8217;s hardest problems. She notes that 600 million people in Africa still lack electricity, a major hindrance to economic progress.</p><p><strong>The &#8220;thirst for truth&#8221; in modern media</strong></p><p>The media section of the interview is perhaps the most timely. Gurib-Fakim argues that trust in mainstream sources has weakened badly.</p><p>&#8220;There is a thirst for truth,&#8221; she says. &#8220;There is a thirst for credible information.&#8221; She links this hunger to a digital environment where people doubt established institutions. Her message is clear: <strong>Credibility is not separate from statecraft. It sits close to it.</strong></p><p><strong>Final thought: leadership as a choice</strong></p><p>Ultimately, Gurib-Fakim&#8217;s message is one of agency. Reflecting on years spent in male-dominated spaces, she notes that there comes a point where you must decide to <strong>&#8220;stand and be counted or sit and be counted.&#8221;</strong> She is not just talking about gender; she is talking about the responsibility of leaders and nations to enter the room and do the work, even when the seat isn&#8217;t handed to them. In a world where old habits are failing, her story is a blueprint for how to hold your nerve, lean on the facts and make the strategic choices necessary to survive a global reckoning.</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Watch or listen to the full interview below and follow Global Power Shifts for more conversations like this.</strong></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Iran Peace Talks: Send a Madman to Catch a Madman]]></title><description><![CDATA[The unpredictable President versus the unpredictable Iranian regime, according to our guest columnist Rouzy Vafaei.]]></description><link>https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/iran-peace-talks-send-a-madman-to</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/iran-peace-talks-send-a-madman-to</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Rouzy]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 11 Apr 2026 18:39:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T_05!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e626ed1-cedb-490c-8828-1966e7fd79ff_2048x1369.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T_05!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e626ed1-cedb-490c-8828-1966e7fd79ff_2048x1369.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T_05!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e626ed1-cedb-490c-8828-1966e7fd79ff_2048x1369.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T_05!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e626ed1-cedb-490c-8828-1966e7fd79ff_2048x1369.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T_05!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e626ed1-cedb-490c-8828-1966e7fd79ff_2048x1369.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T_05!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e626ed1-cedb-490c-8828-1966e7fd79ff_2048x1369.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T_05!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e626ed1-cedb-490c-8828-1966e7fd79ff_2048x1369.webp" width="1456" height="973" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8e626ed1-cedb-490c-8828-1966e7fd79ff_2048x1369.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:973,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:364034,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helmettoheels.com/i/193818475?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e626ed1-cedb-490c-8828-1966e7fd79ff_2048x1369.webp&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T_05!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e626ed1-cedb-490c-8828-1966e7fd79ff_2048x1369.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T_05!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e626ed1-cedb-490c-8828-1966e7fd79ff_2048x1369.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T_05!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e626ed1-cedb-490c-8828-1966e7fd79ff_2048x1369.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T_05!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e626ed1-cedb-490c-8828-1966e7fd79ff_2048x1369.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">White House Pool Photo </figcaption></figure></div><p>This morning I woke up to a text from Tehran: &#8220;Look, we were never fans of the Islamic Republic. But Trump drew the line so badly that now all Iranians &#8212; regime and everyone else &#8212; are basically on the same side against this madman.&#8221;</p><p>Meanwhile to the East across the Iranian-Pakistani border, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/04/11/world/iran-war-trump-talks-pakistan">New York Times reports:</a> &#8220;An American delegation led by Vice President JD Vance met with senior Iranian negotiators on Saturday afternoon in Pakistan, officials from Iran and the White House said. It was a historic encounter between decades-old adversaries as they sought to broker peace after more than a month of war.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.helmettoheels.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Helmet to Heels&#174; is a reader-supported publication. To support our work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>As night fell in Islamabad, few details about the status of talks had been released. But the length of the talks, which Iranian state media and a White House official said were continuing,  suggested the two sides remained engaged and still had topics to discuss.&#8221; </p><p>But does JD Vance know who exactly he&#8217;s dealing with? </p><p>Rouzy Vafaei fled Iran last month after several days&#8217; detention at the hands of the Islamic Republic&#8217;s security forces. He is an American - Iranian dual national whose first hand recent experience living under this regime gives us valuable insight into who it is the Vice President is negotiating with. </p><p>He writes:</p><p><em>President Trump&#8217;s unpredictability is his greatest personal strength when facing an adversary like the Islamic Republic of Iran.</em></p><p><em>The reason for that is because the rulers of Iran are equally unpredictable. They manipulated the Iranian people to overthrow the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1979. And they have continued to be an unpredictable group ever since.</em></p><p><em>They used American hostages for their own benefit and have long since made a mockery of every American president since then. The reason for that is every President of the United States acted &#8220;presidential.&#8221; As we have seen with the Trump Presidencies, Donald Trump is anything but that.</em></p><p><em>Fast forward to April 10, 2026; the date the Trump administration had set for negotiations in Pakistan.</em></p><p><em>His two envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were set to fly across the world with Vice-President JD Vance. The Islamic Republic&#8217;s envoys, headed by Majlis (Parliament) speaker Mohammad Qalibaf, flew to neighboring Islamabad with the Speaker&#8217;s two new demands in order to even start negotiating a permanent agreement.</em></p><p><em>First, the regime&#8217;s money needs to be unfrozen by the United States before negotiations can start.</em></p><p><em>Second, Lebanon must be part of a negotiated settlement; in that Israel will cease attacking the terrorist group, Hezbollah.</em></p><p><em>This isn&#8217;t the first time, regime negotiators have thrown a last minute curveball. They famously did it during the Obama Administration&#8217;s Iran nuclear deal. And to the dismay of the Iranian people, it worked.</em></p><p><em>President Obama was a conventional, predictable US president that desperately wanted a deal. President Trump, on the other hand is by and large the most unconventional US president we have seen, and is far from predictable.</em></p><p><em>At times, it&#8217;s my opinion his staff don&#8217;t even know what he will do.</em></p><p><em>While the Islamic Republic&#8217;s negotiators outmaneuvered previous administrations, it is my opinion this will not work with President Trump. As he said, the Islamic regime doesn&#8217;t hold any cards.</em></p><p><em>And with all American military assets maintaining their defensive positions in the region, bombs can potentially start flying towards remaining regime targets with a flick of switch.</em></p><p><em>As in poker, you can have a great hand, but if your opponent is unpredictable, they will make the mistake of overplaying that hand.</em></p><p><em>I believe, the Islamic Republic is doing just that.</em></p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.helmettoheels.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Helmet to Heels&#174; is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Japan Handbag Arbitrage]]></title><description><![CDATA[Our Gen Z correspondent Sophia Nasibdar can teach her parents a thing or two about exchange rates - leveraging the historically weak Japanese Yen for bag swag.]]></description><link>https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/the-japan-handbag-arbitrage</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/the-japan-handbag-arbitrage</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Sophia Nasibdar]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:46:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f8ol!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb1b05d1-b038-48c4-aa7b-4e6f0da71ce1_1200x1600.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On an icy Friday afternoon here in D.C., I somehow convinced my mom to make a quick ice cream stop after she picked me up from school at the Cathedral. I hopped in the car, and we were on our way into the city for a quick pitstop. It was supposed to be simple. In, out, gelato, back in the car before my face went numb. My eyes were super-focused on the prize, a double scoop of Dulce de leche.</p><p>But my mom&#8217;s eyes? They went somewhere else.</p><p>She stopped so fast I almost bumped into her in front of the Chanel boutique window. Her eyes were locked onto a brand-new Classic 11.12 handbag. Usually, this is the exact moment my dad steps in to save the day. He is practically a professional at creating a distraction in front of luxury storefronts, nervously checking his watch and trying to usher us toward the nearest coffee shop.</p><p>But today, Dad wasn&#8217;t there to run his routine. Mom was totally alone.</p><p>I watched her standing there in the cold, trying not to slip on the black ice, already composing the text to my dad in her head. Following the price hike, that specific bag she was staring at now sits at an eye-popping $11,300. I knew exactly what pitch she was rehearsing, the classic one she saves for Dad: <em>It&#8217;s an heirloom piece. It holds its value. I&#8217;m just buying it now so I can pass it down to Sophia later.</em> It&#8217;s a great pitch, but as her &#8220;designated heir&#8221; and since I am my dad&#8217;s daughter, I had to step in. Before she could walk through those heavy glass doors, I intervened.</p><p>&#8220;Mom. No. Please don&#8217;t. Put your wallet away, Mom. I&#8217;m begging you&#8221; I said.</p><p>While she was staring at the quilted leather, I was already looking down at my phone. But I wasn&#8217;t pulling up TikTok or Instagram, I had a live USD/Japanese Yen (JPY) foreign exchange chart open on the XE app, alongside a quick back-of-the-napkin math.</p><p>&#8220;The money you are about to drop on this one bag,&#8221; I explained, turning my screen toward her, &#8220;will literally pay for two round-trip flights to Tokyo, a hotel in Ginza, all the sushi we can eat, and this exact same bag in pristine vintage condition.&#8221;</p><p>She looked at me like the freezing wind had finally gotten to my head. But if she really wanted to make an &#8220;investment pitch,&#8221; I had to do something deeply annoying and turn this into a spreadsheet.</p><p><strong>155 Yen to the Dollar (and What That Means for Mom&#8217;s Closet)</strong></p><p>For the last few years, two very important financial institutions, one here in the US and the other one in Japan, were making different choices. Here in the US, we have the Federal Reserve, which hiked interest rates quite aggressively in 2022 and 2023 to reduce inflation. In Japan, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) kept their interest rates near zero. Now, both have started turning around. The US Fed has been easing up and cutting rates, and the BOJ has finally started tightening, pushing interest rates to their highest levels in more than three decades.</p><p>But here is the thing: even though they are both heading back toward each other, the distance they created over the last few years is still significant, and until that gap closes, when I checked that afternoon, USD/JPY was around 155, low enough that even my mom noticed the conversion. That matters, because these are some of the weakest Yen levels shoppers have seen in decades. Some on Wall Street see that interest rate gap as a trading opportunity. For my mom, that gap is a handbag.</p><p>I said to her, &#8220;Mom, you don&#8217;t need to &#8216;understand forex&#8217; to understand Tokyo is on sale. You just need to be a tourist with good taste and convince Dad for a family vacation in Tokyo.&#8221;</p><p>I explained to her that when she walks into a luxury vintage reseller in Tokyo&#8217;s Shibuya or Ginza neighborhoods right now holding USD, her purchasing power is on a completely different level. She is not just doing a little international retail therapy. She is basically doing currency arbitrage, except instead of getting a stock trade confirmation to show for it, she walks out with interlocking gold C&#8217;s and a really good story.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f8ol!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb1b05d1-b038-48c4-aa7b-4e6f0da71ce1_1200x1600.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f8ol!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb1b05d1-b038-48c4-aa7b-4e6f0da71ce1_1200x1600.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f8ol!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb1b05d1-b038-48c4-aa7b-4e6f0da71ce1_1200x1600.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f8ol!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb1b05d1-b038-48c4-aa7b-4e6f0da71ce1_1200x1600.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f8ol!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb1b05d1-b038-48c4-aa7b-4e6f0da71ce1_1200x1600.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f8ol!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb1b05d1-b038-48c4-aa7b-4e6f0da71ce1_1200x1600.jpeg" width="1200" height="1600" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/bb1b05d1-b038-48c4-aa7b-4e6f0da71ce1_1200x1600.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1600,&quot;width&quot;:1200,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:285481,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helmettoheels.com/i/193610523?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb1b05d1-b038-48c4-aa7b-4e6f0da71ce1_1200x1600.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f8ol!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb1b05d1-b038-48c4-aa7b-4e6f0da71ce1_1200x1600.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f8ol!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb1b05d1-b038-48c4-aa7b-4e6f0da71ce1_1200x1600.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f8ol!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb1b05d1-b038-48c4-aa7b-4e6f0da71ce1_1200x1600.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f8ol!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb1b05d1-b038-48c4-aa7b-4e6f0da71ce1_1200x1600.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Tokyo&#8217;s <em>Amore</em> vintage bag store, photo by Suzanne Kianpour</figcaption></figure></div><p><strong>Why Tokyo Has Mom&#8217;s Bag and The Art of Cherishing</strong></p><p>Mom was tracking the math, but I could tell she had one major hesitation left. I could practically see the question forming on her face, and then she said it out loud, &#8220;Sophia, why would I fly across the planet to buy a used handbag?&#8221;</p><p>I promised her I would explain everything if she would just get us off the freezing DC sidewalk and into the gelato store. Over two scoops of Dulce de leche, I told her what I had recently learned about Japan in the 1980s.</p><p>During the mid-to-late 80s, Japan experienced a massive economic boom. It was a period of tremendous prosperity, and the newly wealthy middle and upper classes celebrated by buying enormous amounts of European luxury goods. In a 2006 interview, United Arrows creative director Hirofumi Kurino, the retail veteran who co-founded one of Japan&#8217;s most buzzed-about fashion retailers, said, &#8220;In the 1980s, the very act of consuming luxury was fun in its own right.&#8221; Brands like Chanel and Louis Vuitton flooded the market. But when the economic bubble burst in the early 1990s, people&#8217;s view of luxury completely shifted. Handbags went from being a fun and frivolous purchase to something you held onto for life.</p><p>But what really makes the Japanese vintage market superior to anywhere else in the world is not just the sheer volume of bags. It is the Japanese culture.</p><p>DC is a pretty international city, and this is actually something I stumbled into before I ever started building that spreadsheet. At a recent friend&#8217;s house party, I met a girl who had just moved here from Japan. She was wearing a beautiful fur jacket. When I complimented her on it and asked if it was new, she laughed and said, &#8220;It&#8217;s vintage, from my grandmother. We Japanese people cherish and preserve our things. It&#8217;s our culture.&#8221; Then she gave me my first dose of cultural reality in Japanese, &#8220;<em>mono wo taisetsu ni</em> (&#29289;&#12434;&#22823;&#20999;&#12395;).&#8221;</p><p>There is a deep-rooted Japanese philosophy behind that phrase, and it translates simply to &#8220;cherish your things.&#8221; In Japan, taking meticulous care of your belongings is not just a personality trait. It is a cultural expectation. The women who bought Chanel flaps at the peak of the 80s bubble did not just throw them in the back of a closet. They stored them in their original dust bags, kept them away from humidity, and preserved them so perfectly that, decades later, some of these bags are virtually indistinguishable from new.</p><p>I told my mom, without that deep cultural respect for cherishing, craftsmanship, and preservation, the entire math I just showed her falls apart. The bags would be ruined, and there would be nothing worth flying 6,800 miles to buy.</p><p>Then I had to preempt her biggest fear. I could see it coming, every bag collector&#8217;s biggest nightmare, &#8220;What if it&#8217;s fake?&#8221; Well, I did not have an answer to that. I am no expert in bag authentication.</p><p>We sat there in the gelato shop and pulled up our phones to research forums and read reviews about the vintage stores in Japan, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-11-21/japan-s-vintage-market-is-being-boosted-by-a-10-million-hermes-birkin-bag">like the Aladdin&#8217;s cave that is </a><em><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-11-21/japan-s-vintage-market-is-being-boosted-by-a-10-million-hermes-birkin-bag">Amore </a></em><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-11-21/japan-s-vintage-market-is-being-boosted-by-a-10-million-hermes-birkin-bag">in Shibuya.</a> What we stumbled upon was exciting. Unlike scrolling through sketchy resale apps here in the US, buying vintage in Japan is basically risk-free. The country has some of the strictest anti-counterfeit laws in the world. To even operate a resale shop like Amore Vintage or Komehyo, businesses must obtain a Secondhand Goods Dealer License directly from the police. As per Weekly Lux Drop and Japan Patent Office &#8220;Selling a counterfeit is a criminal offense under the Trademark Act that can result in fines of up to 10 million Yen, and/or up to 10 years in prison.&#8221; These are not casual consequences. Japan treats counterfeiting the way most countries treat fraud.</p><p>As we stepped back out into the cold, I looked at my mom. &#8220;You are not buying a &#8216;used bag,&#8217; Mom,&#8221; I said. &#8220;You are buying a pristine piece of 1980s economic history that someone cherished for three decades. And right now, the exchange rate is practically begging you to take it.&#8221;</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!75oy!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e1f1bfa-0933-47f9-8644-cb7accd891ad_1200x1600.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!75oy!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e1f1bfa-0933-47f9-8644-cb7accd891ad_1200x1600.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!75oy!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e1f1bfa-0933-47f9-8644-cb7accd891ad_1200x1600.jpeg 848w, 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data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/1e1f1bfa-0933-47f9-8644-cb7accd891ad_1200x1600.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1600,&quot;width&quot;:1200,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:367218,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helmettoheels.com/i/193610523?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e1f1bfa-0933-47f9-8644-cb7accd891ad_1200x1600.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!75oy!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e1f1bfa-0933-47f9-8644-cb7accd891ad_1200x1600.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!75oy!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e1f1bfa-0933-47f9-8644-cb7accd891ad_1200x1600.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!75oy!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e1f1bfa-0933-47f9-8644-cb7accd891ad_1200x1600.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!75oy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e1f1bfa-0933-47f9-8644-cb7accd891ad_1200x1600.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Bag shopping in <em>Amore</em>, Tokyo, photo by Suzanne Kianpour</figcaption></figure></div><p><strong>The Boarding Passes</strong></p><p>By the time we scraped the bottom of our gelato cups, the DC wind chill didn&#8217;t seem to matter anymore. Mom was officially speaking my language, spreadsheets and savings.</p><p>So now I pulled out my phone for the last time and walked her through the final equation.</p><p>&#8220;Okay,&#8221; I said, opening my calculator app. &#8220;If you walk into that Chanel boutique right now, you are spending $11,300 plus DC&#8217;s 6% sales tax, bringing your total to roughly $11,978. But if we fly to Tokyo, we can find that exact same Classic 11.12 in pristine vintage condition at a reputed reseller for around $4,500 to $5,500.&#8221;</p><p>She was nodding, but I was not done. &#8220;And here is the cherry on top, Mom&#8221; I said. &#8220;Japan offers a 10% tax-free shopping for international tourists. So instead of paying DC sales tax on top of an already inflated price, you get additional discounts.&#8221;</p><p>I showed her my screen. Even on the higher end of the vintage range, the total savings were sitting comfortably around $5,800 to $7,400.</p><p>&#8220;So,&#8221; she said, her eyes widening as the math finally landed. &#8220;The savings...&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;...covers both of our return flights from Dulles to Haneda, a boutiqe hotel, and leaves us enough leftover cash we won&#8217;t have to eat at 7-11,&#8221; I finished for her.</p><p>She didn&#8217;t say anything for a moment. She just looked back down the street toward the gleaming Chanel storefront, then back at my phone. For a second, I thought I was going to have to text Dad to come run his usual routine. But then she pulled her coat a little tighter against the cold and smiled.</p><p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Open up Expedia. Let&#8217;s see what week works for your dad.&#8221;</p><p>We Gen Z&#8217;s might be young, but we understand global markets better than people give us credit for. When the system prices your mom out of her dream handbag, you do not let her settle. You cross the Pacific and hack the exchange rate. And sometimes, the best investment isn&#8217;t the bag. It is the boarding passes.</p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Iranian 'Regime Change' is a Lie]]></title><description><![CDATA[News with Suz speaks with an Iranian American with real, rare on the ground insights from inside Iran, including first hand experience with IRGC brutality]]></description><link>https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/why-iranian-regime-change-is-a-lie</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/why-iranian-regime-change-is-a-lie</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Suzanne Kianpour]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 18:21:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/193597605/68e3e5ca0628f085a87e1f3e42fcb24b.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="install-substack-app-embed install-substack-app-embed-web" data-component-name="InstallSubstackAppToDOM"><img class="install-substack-app-embed-img" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rrxT!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbadb8bcf-851e-4f84-adcf-204d866fb9c6_500x500.png"><div class="install-substack-app-embed-text"><div class="install-substack-app-header">Get more from Suzanne Kianpour in the Substack app</div><div class="install-substack-app-text">Available for iOS and Android</div></div><a href="https://substack.com/app/app-store-redirect?utm_campaign=app-marketing&amp;utm_content=author-post-insert&amp;utm_source=kianpourworld" target="_blank" class="install-substack-app-embed-link"><button class="install-substack-app-embed-btn button primary">Get the app</button></a></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[WATCH: Escaping IRGC detention, exclusive eyewitness testimony and pictures from inside Iran ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Rouzy Vafaie, an Iranian-American, escaped Iran after being beaten and interrogated at gunpoint. He spoke to me exclusively for Times Radio in London.]]></description><link>https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/watch-escaping-irgc-detention-exclusive</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/watch-escaping-irgc-detention-exclusive</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Suzanne Kianpour]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 09:37:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/youtube/w_728,c_limit/mU8MLBkHe3I" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;ve known Rouzy Vafaie for many years; unusually he&#8217;s a US / Iranian dual national who&#8217;s felt confident enough to live inside Iran, even as the war began. We&#8217;ve been in touch throughout, even though communicating with people outside Iran, let alone with journalists, carries huge risk. He told me he was planning to leave via the border with Armenia, but then all contact ceased. For many days I was extremely worried; finally he was able to contact me to tell me he had escaped, but not after days of detention and beatings from Iranian security services.</p><p>Rouzy&#8217;s testimony offers an extraodinary glimpse into life inside Iran during the war, and the threat to ordinary Iranians from the country&#8217;s security services who remain a threat, even after 4 weeks of bombardment by the US and Israel. I spoke to him from <em>Times Radio</em>&#8217;s studio in London: </p><div id="youtube2-mU8MLBkHe3I" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;mU8MLBkHe3I&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/mU8MLBkHe3I?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><p>The Times newspaper have <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/world/middle-east/israel-iran/article/iran-war-defector-arrested-irgc-sstfhf9w6">published a text report</a> of the story this morning:</p><p><em>Vafaie&#8217;s account offers a rare glimpse into life inside Iran, where the internet has been shut down, and the security services have arrested anyone suspected of communicating with the West. </em></p><p><em>He said that he wanted to speak publicly to give voice to the suffering going on within the country and the brutality of the security apparatus , which has effectively taken control of the running of the regime since the killing of Ayatollah Khamenei. </em></p><p><em>During the protests that took place earlier this year, Vafaie said that he could hear the sound of machineguns and people screaming in the streets as they called for reform to the authoritarian rule of the mullahs. Up to 30,000 people are estimated to have been killed by the regime during the demonstrations. </em></p><p><em>He described a society divided between the ruling class of IRGC members, who typically live in penthouses in the richest neighbourhoods of northern Tehran, and ordinary people who make up the vast majority of the population. (The Times, London) </em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VNsL!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb6b46ff-940d-4ef9-acf3-2e7af42f395d_1600x558.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VNsL!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb6b46ff-940d-4ef9-acf3-2e7af42f395d_1600x558.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VNsL!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb6b46ff-940d-4ef9-acf3-2e7af42f395d_1600x558.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VNsL!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb6b46ff-940d-4ef9-acf3-2e7af42f395d_1600x558.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VNsL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb6b46ff-940d-4ef9-acf3-2e7af42f395d_1600x558.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VNsL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb6b46ff-940d-4ef9-acf3-2e7af42f395d_1600x558.jpeg" width="1456" height="508" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/fb6b46ff-940d-4ef9-acf3-2e7af42f395d_1600x558.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:508,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:226531,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helmettoheels.com/i/192936862?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb6b46ff-940d-4ef9-acf3-2e7af42f395d_1600x558.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VNsL!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb6b46ff-940d-4ef9-acf3-2e7af42f395d_1600x558.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VNsL!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb6b46ff-940d-4ef9-acf3-2e7af42f395d_1600x558.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VNsL!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb6b46ff-940d-4ef9-acf3-2e7af42f395d_1600x558.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VNsL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb6b46ff-940d-4ef9-acf3-2e7af42f395d_1600x558.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div><hr></div><p>Alongside his interview, Rouzy was able to share with me exclusive pictures and video of his time inside Iran, showing the ferocity of the attacks on the capital Teheran. </p><div class="image-gallery-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;gallery&quot;:{&quot;images&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/be2843c7-83f6-42fb-88a2-926cc056ada0_1600x900.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d9e78cfa-8090-4c30-9968-a726b5bdb65e_900x1600.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c4117f5c-f0c9-42e0-a8b6-e035e3dbe7d8_1200x1600.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/fe373de1-27ff-4a25-8c07-cac00fb768ca_1200x1600.jpeg&quot;}],&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Huge explosions have rocked the capital; Iranian Government propaganda remains visible&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Scenes from Iran during the war in March &quot;,&quot;staticGalleryImage&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/60513ade-ebc2-4287-a637-93f330a7c321_1456x1456.png&quot;}},&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p>In this video taken after Government-organised celebrations, in the weeks after tens of thousands of civilians were killed, you can hear protesters shouting &#8216;Death to the Dictator&#8217; in Farsi: </p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;e53d83f3-cd0e-47ee-8d1d-1836aa68f42c&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>Here you get a sense of what it&#8217;s like living under a bombing raid, sheltering inside your own home </p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;52483181-f7e6-46b9-bcba-cb8049121a2d&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><div><hr></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to be media literate in a sea of propaganda ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Maryam Mertash joined News with Suz on Instagram Live with some tips and tells us the harrowing story of her grandmother who survived Iran's notorious Evin prison...by marrying her prison guard.]]></description><link>https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/how-to-be-media-literate-in-a-sea</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/how-to-be-media-literate-in-a-sea</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Maryam Mehrtash]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 15:11:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/191713602/5ea8f9d7327175a0ea4a9863784317ef.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>One evening in 2014, I was walking home to my flat in Beirut admiring the Lebanese sunset along the corniche and found myself humming a melancholic tune. When I stopped to analyze what song it was that had gotten stuck in my head, I was horrified. It was the ISIS theme song, the murderous terrorist group that was wreaking havoc in the Middle East, beheading &#8220;kafirs,&#8221; raping and kidnapping women only to turn them into slaves. The group was committing atrocities in the name of religion and yet recruits were joining them. Why? Expert, emotion evoking propaganda.</p><p>Sound familiar? The Iranian regime - who calls itself the Islamic Republic of Iran while executing a teenager in the name of God on Eid al Fitr marking the end of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, is at the same time putting out admittedly hilarious meme style videos trolling Donald Trump - and the left and those aggrieved with Israel and the US, are lapping it up. I find none of this surprising as I co-authored this investigation for the Atlantic Council in 2020 on <a href="https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/report/iranian-digital-influence-efforts-guerrilla-broadcasting-for-the-twenty-first-century/">Iranian digital influence efforts</a> warning of the sophisticated messaging tools they were refining. </p><p>The goal is for the lego videos - which I won&#8217;t link to help their views - to soften the regime&#8217;s image and distract from their atrocities, especially towards women. What this so-called Islamic Republic has done to women in prison will make your skin crawl - just ask <span class="mention-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Maryam Mehrtash&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:240801586,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;user&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:null,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MwM6!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82a6825c-448e-42c7-aadc-6773ec1ed730_2688x2688.jpeg&quot;,&quot;uuid&quot;:&quot;769ec594-a018-4306-8061-81688bbbb4a2&quot;}" data-component-name="MentionToDOM"></span> whose grandmother survived years in Iran&#8217;s notorious Evin Prison, the subject of an animated short documentary I am the Executive Producer of, <a href="http://thatnightdoc.com">That Night</a>. </p><p>Maryam has spent her career shaping narratives at the highest levels of American communications. Now she&#8217;s working to help especially those new to the subject of the Iranian regime and its history, understand that while they purport to be the anti-imperial resistance, the truth is far more sinister. </p><p>The price of propaganda got personal for me recently; I lost a friendship over it. Not over facts but over being told how I&#8217;m allowed to talk about them. </p><p>&#8220;Please stop using the word Islam when you refer to them, it&#8217;s very offensive.&#8221;</p><p>Asked to soften it, to stop naming what it is, to blur the line between a regime and the religion it weaponizes when that line is the whole point. I patiently explained, poked holes in their narrative but my messages went unread, uninterested in the inconvenient truth. Ghosted. Unfollowed. As if telling the truth of what I&#8217;ve seen, what I&#8217;ve reported, what people I trust and vetted have lived through, was the real offense flying in the face of a system that felt more comfortable to believe despite it being a lie. </p><p>So this video is a PSA more than anything, and I hope you&#8217;ll join us. </p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[🎙️The Ensemble: US official admits to mistakes made in Iran ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Former US Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer joins 'Global Power Shifts' with lessons from the 2009 Green Movement plus the Corgi-led canine escape story that was too good to be true]]></description><link>https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/the-ensemble-us-official-admits-to</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/the-ensemble-us-official-admits-to</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Suzanne Kianpour]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 21:33:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TtKx!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9d5d601f-64cc-4414-9057-26f65ea8c206_1382x772.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>While this newsletter was written in the fashion capital of the world in Milan, the last month has been far more helmet focused than heels. That&#8217;s right, we have in fact entered the second month of the war with Iran. Milan may be best known for style, but it&#8217;s also home to where the Italian people resoundingly rejected fascism by publicly putting on dis&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Confessions from The Situation Room: America's mistakes on Iran's 2009 Green Movement and the lessons for today ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jon Finer, former US Deputy National Security Adviser and co-host of Vox Media&#8217;s 'The Long Game' tells 'Global Power Shifts' the US should have done more during Iran&#8217;s 2009 uprising.]]></description><link>https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/confessions-from-the-situation-room</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/confessions-from-the-situation-room</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Suzanne Kianpour]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 20:14:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/youtube/w_728,c_limit/AJ43wcxj7HM" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[🎙️The Ensemble: Persian New Year Edition ]]></title><description><![CDATA[In this part of the world, the year is actually 2585, and if January and February failed to deliver, you get to start your resolutions over on the first day of Spring]]></description><link>https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/the-ensemble-persian-new-year-edition</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/the-ensemble-persian-new-year-edition</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Jamie Angus]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 21 Mar 2026 05:31:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Oeu5!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4e4bccb-e34c-45b2-9809-e754131959f9_1200x1600.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It&#8217;s been a rough three weeks of global chaos since the start of the Iran war, so let&#8217;s begin with some good News with Suz: mercury retrograde is over, Spring has sprung, for Muslims their Ramadan fasting is finished and Punch - the most famous monkey in the world -<a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/kianpourworld/p/punch-oran-mama-and-the-internet?r=dskc&amp;utm_campaign=post&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;showWelcomeOnShare=true"> appears to have found love,</a> albeit unconfirmed. </p><p>I&#8217;ve watched the video probably 100 time&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Punch, Oran-Mama and the Internet Craze]]></title><description><![CDATA[Reporting from Los Angeles]]></description><link>https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/punch-oran-mama-and-the-internet</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/punch-oran-mama-and-the-internet</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Thalia Garabedian]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 21 Mar 2026 01:00:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cUMF!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F26797b63-4265-4149-bd24-8b0d15ff65ad_1199x957.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>BREAKING NEWS WITH SUZ: Punch now has a girlfriend! </p><div class="instagram-embed-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;instagram_id&quot;:&quot;DV_bJUKESvE&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Daily Mail on Instagram: \&quot;Punch, the viral baby macaque from Ja&#8230;&quot;,&quot;author_name&quot;:&quot;@dailymail&quot;,&quot;thumbnail_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/__ss-rehost__IG-meta-DV_bJUKESvE.jpg&quot;,&quot;timestamp&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false}" data-component-name="InstagramToDOM"><iframe class="instagram-embed-frame" srcdoc="<!doctype html>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[🎙️The Ensemble: Sons and Fathers in Iran's Leadership Stakes]]></title><description><![CDATA[This week I'm reflecting on women in war, Godparenting and the interface between sport and politics.]]></description><link>https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/the-ensemble-sons-and-fathers-in</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/the-ensemble-sons-and-fathers-in</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Suzanne Kianpour]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 12 Mar 2026 18:27:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/youtube/w_728,c_limit/cTh_vIzSF-I" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Greetings from Washington DC where I&#8217;ve returned after a brief trip across the pond to celebrate a very special International Women&#8217;s Day with the Christening of my Goddaughter Stella -  yes,  breaking News with Suz, I am a Godmother. </p><div class="instagram-embed-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;instagram_id&quot;:&quot;DVpSS3eDd9T&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Suzanne Kianpour on Instagram: \&quot;NEWS WITH SUZ: I AM A GODMOTHER&#8230;&quot;,&quot;author_name&quot;:&quot;@kianpourworld&quot;,&quot;thumbnail_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/__ss-rehost__IG-meta-DVpSS3eDd9T.jpg&quot;,&quot;timestamp&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false}" data-component-name="InstagramToDOM"><iframe class="instagram-embed-frame" srcdoc="<!doctype html>
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</html>" title="Instagram post" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="true" allow="encrypted-media" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox" height="520px"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">(function() {
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  })();</script></div><p>I&#8217;ve been thinking about what kind of world we&#8217;re creating for our children, and weighing especially on my heart has bee&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Iran latest - how will the war end? WATCH]]></title><description><![CDATA[I spoke to NewsNation's Connell McShane in Istanbul about how the war may play out, the future leadership of Iran, and the feelings of Iranians I've been speaking to.]]></description><link>https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/iran-latest-how-will-the-war-end</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/iran-latest-how-will-the-war-end</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Suzanne Kianpour]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 06 Mar 2026 23:09:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/190156267/ee5729b96b25e9cf6c960b2506685dc5.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[🎙️The Ensemble: 5 things you need to know about the war with the Islamic Republic of Iran]]></title><description><![CDATA[+ Plus Milan Fashion Week highlights, and reinventing the WAG. (We're all suffering from breaking news overload this week so H2H is here to serve a bit of reprieve with your headlines)]]></description><link>https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/the-ensemble-5-things-you-need-to</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/the-ensemble-5-things-you-need-to</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Suzanne Kianpour]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 04 Mar 2026 19:45:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/youtube/w_728,c_limit/JH4LfKz9p_E" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[
      <p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[NEWS WITH SUZ LIVE: IRAN ATTACKS ]]></title><description><![CDATA[A recording from Suzanne Kianpour's live video]]></description><link>https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/news-with-suz-live-iran-attacks</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/news-with-suz-live-iran-attacks</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Suzanne Kianpour]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 28 Feb 2026 22:15:31 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/189499847/5fa90e14679b3c6b234798bd5883be1d.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="install-substack-app-embed install-substack-app-embed-web" data-component-name="InstallSubstackAppToDOM"><img class="install-substack-app-embed-img" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rrxT!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbadb8bcf-851e-4f84-adcf-204d866fb9c6_500x500.png"><div class="install-substack-app-embed-text"><div class="install-substack-app-header">Get more from Suzanne Kianpour in the Substack app</div><div class="install-substack-app-text">Available for iOS and Android</div></div><a href="https://substack.com/app/app-store-redirect?utm_campaign=app-marketing&amp;utm_content=author-post-insert&amp;utm_source=kianpourworld" target="_blank" class="install-substack-app-embed-link"><button class="install-substack-app-embed-btn button primary">Get the app</button></a></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[London Fashion Week : The Style of Resilience]]></title><description><![CDATA[The annual 'ecosystem of style' wraps up - here's our take.]]></description><link>https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/london-fashion-week-ua-in-uk</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/london-fashion-week-ua-in-uk</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Anastasia O'Reilly]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 24 Feb 2026 18:43:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aj52!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff0d9b06a-25c6-493d-9f38-a26583ce43cf_1600x669.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The air inside the venue is thick with a specific kind of electric anticipation, a high-frequency energy that only precedes a London Fashion Week debut; it&#8217;s a living, breathing ecosystem of style. A low, rhythmic hum of people chatting fills the hall - a flurry of stars draped in deconstructed denim, heavy silver hardware, and towering platform boots, &#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[🎙️The Ensemble: Monkey Business, a Solemn War Anniversary and Empathy Across the Lines ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Into the gaping void left by the end of Winter Olympics strides a single baby monkey...]]></description><link>https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/the-ensemble-monkey-business-a-solemn</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/the-ensemble-monkey-business-a-solemn</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Jamie Angus]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 24 Feb 2026 00:03:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VoTv!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9c0344b0-8b28-4172-a8a9-0ba2d311faa2_1061x1177.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Sometimes we get the hero we need - Punch is a tiny macaque in a Tokyo zoo who <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/23/punch-monkey-japan-macaque-why-do-mother-animals-abandon-offspring">has been bullied by the other members of his pack after being rejected by his mother</a>, takes comfort in his stuffed toy orangutang, and has now thoroughly broken the internet. There&#8217;s something about zoo animal stories that speaks to all of us (<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-38383126">see also Harambe&#8230;</a>) - and I guess&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Inside Ukraine’s Attack on a Russian Port: A Personal Perspective]]></title><description><![CDATA[What the media doesn&#8217;t tell you about &#8216;the other side&#8217;]]></description><link>https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/inside-ukraines-attack-on-a-russian</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/inside-ukraines-attack-on-a-russian</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Veronika Kolosova]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 23 Feb 2026 15:53:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!izAS!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb6587ec6-7e27-4534-8e14-b9faffbdb7a2_4032x3024.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I never thought I&#8217;d see Volna village in international headlines. A small area in the Krasnodar region in the Russian South that barely anyone&#8217;s heard of, but a place near and dear to my heart. A coastal village where I spent 18 summers visiting my grandparents suddenly hit the global news.</p><p><em>Just ahead of the four-year anniversary of Russia&#8217;s invasion and&#8230;</em></p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA['I brought two American flags with me to Iran. Someone just offered me $500 for one of them!']]></title><description><![CDATA[Texts from Tehran and how Olympic Gold hints the Revolution has come full circle.]]></description><link>https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/i-brought-two-american-flags-with</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/i-brought-two-american-flags-with</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Suzanne Kianpour]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 22 Feb 2026 18:46:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nRym!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd6514506-4fe4-49f9-8d69-77c0f21f21b2_1179x1140.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&#8220;US wins gold. Great omen.&#8221; While they await news of either American bombs or a nuclear deal that would allow the regime that massacred its own people in the streets last month to survive, people inside Iran are escaping their anxiety with the Winter Olympics, one with an American flag so popular others are comping at the bit to buy it - even in an era &#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[I went to Iran in 2017 - the regime wants just one thing, Western media are giving it to them.]]></title><description><![CDATA[International broadcasters want to 'hold people to account and show both sides of the argument'. Totalitarian regimes use that to enable repression.]]></description><link>https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/i-went-to-iran-in-2017-the-regime</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helmettoheels.com/p/i-went-to-iran-in-2017-the-regime</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Jamie Angus]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 21 Feb 2026 15:07:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1706760979424-afe63920eaed?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwzMHx8dGVocmFuJTIwcHJvdGVzdHxlbnwwfHx8fDE3NzE2ODQ0Mjd8MA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>My former BBC Newsnight colleague and experienced war reporter Mark Urban has <a href="https://markurban.substack.com/p/reporting-from-tehran">written an excellent substack post about the decision by the BBC and others to send reporters to cover Iran&#8217;s 47th Anniversary celebrations of the Islamic Revolution.</a> I respectfully disagree with his conclusions and wanted to add some perspective as someone who supported these&#8230;</p>
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