Artists voice solidarity with southern Iranian provinces under attack
Leading Iranian actors, musicians and filmmakers voiced support for residents of southern Iran after attacks that began on July 13 and continued over the following days, using social media to express solidarity with affected communities and call for an end to the violence.
The wave of reactions spread across Iran's cultural community as artists from different generations shared messages of empathy for people in Khuzestan, Hormozgan, Bushehr, Sistan and Baluchestan, and the Persian Gulf islands, where the attacks have dominated public attention in recent days, ISNA reported.
Veteran actress Fatemeh Motamed-Arya posted a series of videos from southern Iran accompanied by traditional southern music, while acclaimed actor Parviz Parastouei wrote, "From Baluchestan to Bushehr, from Qeshm Island to Kish, from Hormozgan to Khuzestan, my life for Iran," underscoring national unity.
Actor Saber Abar urged Iranians never to become accustomed to war, writing that no one should regard "a burning home, a frightened child, a waiting mother, or a city wounded day after day" as normal. He described southern Iran as "a piece of our heart beating beneath the sound of war."
Pop singer Reza Sadeghi, who hails from the south, pledged unwavering support for his homeland, saying the region's people have defended their land throughout history and would continue to stand by it. Veteran actor Abbas Jamshidifar echoed that sentiment, praying that "the shadow of war" be lifted from the Iranian people.
Director Mehrdad Khoshbakht, who grew up in Abadan during the Iran-Iraq War, recalled childhood memories of air raids and argued that the reality of war should not be softened through language. "Changing its name does not make war any gentler," he wrote.
Other prominent figures, including actors Sam Derakhshani, Mehran Ghafourian, Hesam Manzoor, Naeimeh Nezamdoost, Elham Pavehnejad, Ghazal Shakeri, composer Ali Ghamsari, and several musicians, also shared messages portraying southern Iran as an inseparable part of the nation's identity and expressing hope that peace will soon return.