Morad Tahbaz’s Struggles in an Iranian Prison
Morad Tahbaz, an American conservationist, recently shared his harrowing experience of nearly six years in Iranian prisons, describing it as a nightmare. He spent four of those months isolated in a small cell, with a constant bright light.
Ultimately held in Ward 2A of Iran’s Evin Prison—known for its high-security measures—Tahbaz was restricted to just two brief outings a day, always blindfolded. His communication with his wife was limited to monitored calls, often interrupted whenever he spoke in English.
“This is probably the toughest imprisonment a person can endure,” Tahbaz remarked after his release in September 2023.
He was arrested in January 2018 while working to protect endangered species as the co-founder of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation. Alongside his colleagues, he was accused of training lizards to spy on military sites. “This is a twisted narrative from the Iranian regime,” he noted in a recent interview.
Tahbaz endured almost six years of imprisonment, facing constantly changing charges that kept him in legal limbo. Now back in the U.S., he warned that, with rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran, other Americans detained there might face dire situations. “The strikes in Iran could certainly affect the hostages’ conditions,” he cautioned.
Tahbaz was among five Americans released on September 18, 2023, in a deal facilitated by Qatar. The negotiations also included five Iranians held in the U.S. and the transfer of $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets for humanitarian efforts.
Despite his release, he believes that foreign nationals remain at risk in Iran because there are no strong consequences for its hostage-taking practices. “This has been happening since the revolution began,” he said.
Recent cases highlight the vulnerability of dual nationals, as seen with Dena Karari, another Iranian American released recently. Her ordeal started in December 2024, when Iranian authorities took her passport, leading to her being interrogated repeatedly.
Tahbaz expressed alarm over the number of Americans still detained in Iran. Reports suggest at least six, including journalist Reza Valizadeh and businessman Kamran Hekmati, face sentences under accusations of collaborating with hostile countries. He believes that without significant deterrents, such practices will continue.
He explained that the Iranian regime often uses hostages as tools in its larger confrontations with the U.S. Adding to this, he noted that the internal divisions within the Iranian government could lead to a deeper economic crisis, which ultimately impacts ordinary Iranians significantly.
“The common people are suffering the most,” he stated, calling for actions from Western governments to address this issue effectively.
Tahbaz’s story of survival and his reflections on the current political landscape in Iran are documented in his new book, “Green Parrots: A Memoir of Survival in Iran’s Evin Prison,” set to be published on September 29.
As hostilities escalate, Tahbaz worries that the Americans still in Iran could become even more valuable bargaining chips for the Iranian regime—while their situations worsen.
