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For several McLean students who grew up in Iran, political pressure began in elementary school, where children were expected to chant “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” during their morning routine.

As they grew older, some students quietly rejected those messages. Speaking openly, however, could bring punishment from school officials or scrutiny from authorities.

“When I used to go to high school in Iran, many of us were against the government, but we couldn’t talk about it,” said junior Samyar Zarghami, who moved from Tehran in July.

Zarghami said most students eventually stopped repeating the chants, though some continued to support the Islamic Republic. Fear of punishment kept government critics silent.

That fear became personal when a school counselor overheard Zarghami discussing Iran’s political conditions with a friend. The counselor reported the conversation, and Zarghami’s parents had to make repeated visits to a police center to explain his remarks and beliefs.

Junior Shayan, whose last name is being withheld to protect his family, said he faced consequences after refusing a principal’s order to repeat the anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans. The principal responded by assigning him extra homework.

Students also worried that private messages could be monitored. Zarghami said friends who exchanged political texts and arranged an anti-government meeting were arrested after police discovered their plans.

Protests Bring Violence and Arrests

Iran has experienced repeated demonstrations over its political and economic conditions. Among the largest recent protest movements followed the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, who had been detained over allegations that she was not wearing her hijab properly.

Shayan said Amini’s death felt deeply personal, even though he did not describe knowing her individually.

“I knew Mahsa Amini like a sister, because for Iranians, anyone who got caught or killed [by the government] are like our brothers and sisters,” he said.

The demonstrations after her death were the first protests Shayan attended. At one gathering near his home, he said a police officer tried to strike him in the chest and left shoulder. A friend intervened and was arrested for 15 hours.

Aliza, a former Tehran resident whose name has been changed to protect her family, said attitudes toward the hijab shifted after Amini’s death and the ensuing crackdown. She said many people came to view it as a symbol of division rather than simply an article of clothing. The protests also led to women increasingly appearing in public without hijabs despite the government’s compulsory-covering policy.

Zarghami described police using force to disperse demonstrators, including kicking and shooting at people and pouring hot water on them. He attended one protest with two friends and his Persian-language teacher.

Police struck the teacher with a baton, leaving his face injured and bleeding, Zarghami said. The teacher returned to school the following day but was fired for joining the demonstration.

Inflation Deepens the Strain

Iran’s economic troubles have added another layer of hardship. Rising prices have made everyday goods and international travel increasingly difficult to afford. A London-based Iranian news outlet reported that average annual inflation had risen 42.2% as of late December.

Zarghami felt the impact while preparing to move to the United States. His family had to exchange Iranian currency for dollars, making airline tickets particularly expensive.

“Inflation has recently gotten worse, and [currently] it’s the worst we’ve ever experienced,” he said.

War Reaches Tehran

Long-running tensions between Iran and Israel erupted into a 12-day war in June 2025 amid conflict over Iran’s nuclear program. For Shayan, the fighting arrived before dawn.

He recalled hearing an explosion west of Tehran near an oil facility at about 5 a.m., followed by rockets overhead. Later that day, his father called from a highway surrounded by bombing but eventually made it home safely.

As explosions continued, the family briefly took shelter in a garden they considered safer. They returned to their home once Shayan’s father arrived.

Television broadcasts became another front in the conflict. Shayan said hackers interrupted a government program claiming victory over Israel. The screen went black before a masked person appeared and declared that the hackers were winning against the Islamic Republic.

Daily life largely stopped as the strikes continued. Shayan stayed inside for about nine days, hearing rockets and bombs while residents struggled with weak internet service.

“Everything was stressful,” he said. “We couldn’t get out of the house.”

Shayan’s family, except for his father, had already planned to move to the United States in pursuit of better opportunities. When their original flight was canceled during the war, they rented a car and traveled for 30 hours to Tabriz in western Iran.

They departed Tehran on the conflict’s 10th day, hearing explosions along the journey. After reaching an airport, the family flew to Turkey and spent two nights there before continuing to the United States and settling in McLean.

Shayan said leaving brought relief but also grief. He believed he would not return and was devastated to leave his home and father behind.

Poor internet service now limits their conversations to about three minutes a day. Shayan hopes his father can eventually join the family, but said his work currently prevents him from leaving Iran.

Despite the repression, economic instability and warfare they experienced, the students remain attached to the country they left.

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