Mandy Connell

WHAT IS LIFE REALLY LIKE IN IRAN? I'm very excited about today's guest at 1. Khosro Isfahani. Khosro was born and raised in Tehran, where he lived for over three decades, working as a journalist and frontline human rights defender until 2021. He infiltrated secretive missile facilities. He smuggled classified documents beyond the regime's reach. He delivered aid quietly to communities placed deliberately in harm's way. Those choices carried consequences: interrogations, threats, surveillance, and finally exile. But exile did not silence him. Over seventeen years reporting on Iran's political and human landscape, Khosro has transformed lived experience into disciplined research and strategic advocacy. Today, he serves as Research Director at the National Union for Democracy in Iran (NUFDI), documenting abuses and articulating a pathway toward a democratic transition. Before NUFDI he worked for Financial Tribune, Article 19, Atlantic Council, and as a professor at Colby College. He has also led Iran resear