♪ >> thomas erdbrink: once upon a ettime, on a dusty road, i girl. >> (laughing)rd >>ink: it was in one of the most isolated countries in the world. (crowd chanting) th joining us now is tehran bureau chief fornew york times"... >> thomas erdbrink, welcome to the program and thank you for joining me. >> erdbrink: 17 years later, i'm still here. >> (chuckling) >> filmed over four years. (erdbrink speaking): >> stories from the inside. (preacher speaking): in a country where nothing is allowed... >> but everything is possible. >> erdbrink: for you.

>> a special two-part "frontline" series. ) (erdbrink speaki >> "our man in tehran." >> say the truth! this is journalist, you know? say all the... >> erdbrink: this is tv, we cannot talk very long. >> frontline is made possible bi contris to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you.he and byorporation for public broadcasting. major support is provided by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, committed erto building a more just,nt and peaceful world. more information is available at macfound.org. the ford foundation: working with visionaries on the front lines of social change worldwid at fordfoundation.org. additional support is providedby he abrams foundation: committed to excellence in journalism. thpark foundation, dedicat to heightening public awareness of critical issues. the john and helen glessner family trust. supporting trustworthysm

journahat informs and inspires. and by the frontline journalm fund, with major support from jon and jo ann hagler. and additional support from joseph azrack and abigail congdon. ♪ >> erdbrink: once upon a time, i met a girl.♪ ♪ it was right here, along thisro dust. om like me, she hadto see the last solar eclipse of the 20th century. ♪ i was a student journalist and she, she was a young photographer. (newsha speaking): >> erdbrink: yeah. (newsha speaking):

>> erdbrink: here was all dust and sand and people,y arriving bs to see the eclipse. usis was also the first time i saw newsha, becathese two buses arrived, one bus with men-- i was in that one, of course-- and one bus with women. and newsha was in that bus. and the women bus, of course, everybody got out first.d saw newsha walking by and then in my imagination, she oked up to me and we had, like, a moment. (laughin >> absolutely lie. (laughs) f m taking pictures and i saw there is a queueybe one kilometer of people, old people, young people, middle-aged. they're all waiting, and someone is doing moon daing. and it was thomas and he was signing-- he was giving signature as if he's michaels jackson and wadoing moon dancing. >> erdbrink: well, what happened, that i figured these people, they haven't seen are ner since the revolution.

and a young guy came up to me and said, "are you michaeln? jack and then i thought, okay, i can say, "no" or i can say, "yes." and i decided to say yes. so i said, "yes," and all the people started crowding around, and sayif you're michael jackson, do the moonwalk." so i was, like, doing the moonwalk. they started asking for my autograph. and then newsha came up to me and said, you know, "who are you and what are you doing?" and, of course, yeah, i could have married a girfrom the dutch countryside and would, maybe would have been different and maybe in many ways it would have been easier, but i'm happy i choose you. .>> of course you should (laughing) ♪ >> erdbrink: that was in 1999, 20 years after a massive popular uprising had ended theong rule of shah mohammad reza pahlavi. ayatollah khomeini returned from

paris anthe shah's regime, both fairytale-like d ruthless, was replaced by a strictly religious anti-american ideology, banning alcohol and forcing women to wear veils. (women shouting) ♪ this is the mysterious and isolated country where i have been living and working for the past 17 years. >> thomas erdbrink, welcome to the program and thank you for joining me. >> joining us now is tehran bureau chief for "the new york times"... >> erdbrink: you mustn't forget, these people have been living under incredible pressures overs the last y deal or no deal, it will definitely be an end to the status quo as we have seen itw. >> all right, thomas erdbrink of "the new york times," thank you very much. >> erdbrin okay, thank you for having me. (water splashing) ♪

i am one of the last foreignna joursts still allowed to work here. it hasn't always been easy. it has taken me years to get permission to produce this 01series, starting back in4. we are given permitso film on the streets. there are always some suspicious officials who refuse to believe us and tell us we are not allowed to film. t usually, after a bit of waiting, some discussions and many phone calls, we part the best of friends and are free to ayrry on. perhaps the besto show what it's like to live in a country like iran is to starthe fromnside, with the people around me. like my father-in-law and his friends. i meet them every morning in the pool. sometimes we discuss politics, but more often we discuss women. (erdbrink speaking): ki

(erdbrink sp): (erdbrink speaking): (erdbrink and man speaking): (man speaking): >>hat's it, then you're... ♪

>> erdbrink: this is the neighborhood where ind myself a first place to stay. (man speaking on loudspeaker): in the beginning, tehran seemed sterious to me, and with its many walls and doors, it seemed an almost inaccessible city. ♪ th but ks to my marriage to newsha, i discovered behind those barriers a cometely different world. >> (calling) >> erdbrink: at first, i got a lot of my information during lunchtime with my -laws, especially about the complicated cultural rules in this country. newsha is the only woman her who wears a headscarf, even though she's not obliged to do so indoors. but she's a well-known photographer, so while we're filming, she doesn't want to take any chances and get into

trouble. (erdbrink and woman speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (woman and erdbrink speaking): (erdbrink and woman 2 speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (newsha speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (woman 1 speaking): (newsha and woman 2 speaking)

(newsha speaking): (newsha and erdbrink speaking): but i ask you to marry me. yes. >> erdbrink: that's true. >> yeah, yeah, i asked him to marry me kioman and newsha speaking): (man and newsha sp): (woman 2 speaking): (newsha speaking): (man 2 speaking):ew a and erdbrink speaking): (erdbrink and newsha speaking): (laughing) ♪

>> erdbrink: so, this is how i spend my days. sometimes, after lunch, i go out. as a foreigner, you're itantly approached by friendly people. iranians are always happy to chat. about whatever subject. >> erdbrink: (wan and erdbrink speaking >> erdbrink: yes, yes! br

(ek and woman speaking): >> erdbrink: friendly... (man and erdbrink spng): (erdbrink speaking): (speaking local language): yes, i'm coming. v it'sery hard to get a word in here-- people come uto you and ask you all kinds of questions like, "what are you doing here? how much do you earn?" and "what do the americans think of iran?" (laughing) but the reason i came this d was to buy a cake. ♪

see this big box? i have some making up to do. (erdbrink and sommayeh speaking): meet sommayeh, my assistant for "the new york tis." she moved into a new apartment and i should have dropped by ages ago. (erdbrink speaking): (erdbrink speaking): >> erdbrink: dorced women have a hard time in iran, but their numbers are growing, especially in the cities. it has taken sommayehs to

find someone willing to rent out an apartment to a single woman.

(erdbrink laughs) ♪ >> erdbrink: sommayeh comes from a strictly religious family in a small, ortdox town near isfahan. she married a cousin 12 years her senior, but the marriage didn't work t. (erdbrink eaking): (sommayeh speaking):

ed>> erdbrink: sommayeh uso be a brilliant student of the quran. actually, she was so good that had she continued her studies, she probably would have become an eminent scholar instead of my assistant for "the new york times." back home, her father looked upon it with dismay. (sommayeh speaking): (erdbrink speaking): br (ek and sommayeh speaking):

♪ (laughing) ♪ >> erdbrink: i want to find out more about this dusty, conservative little town where she grew up. during the six-hour-long trip, it feels as if we've traveled 20 years back in time.

this is where all women dress in black. five daily prayer services determine the rhythm of the day. and this is where sommayeh's father mt have been clenching his teeth when he found out about his daughter's divorce and hecosmopolitan lifestyle. (erdbrink and man speaking): (erdbrink and woman speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (woman speaking): (erdbrink speaking):

(woman speaking): (erdbrink speaking):

(voice breaking)

♪ >> things seem frozen here. things do not change that much. you know, when i was a littl child, it was almost this, like that it is now. you can see new houses are trying to be rebuilt, refurnished outside, inside. w.t the speed is still slole peannot afford, you know, refreshing everything once in a while.i

anink it's the same for what's happening in their mind as well, you know? hespeed of life is too slo. ♪ (woman speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (woman speaking):

(women talking softly) ♪ ♪ >> erdbrink: the following day, we returned to the cap compared to the sleepy, traditional town where sommayeh was born, tehran looks like a sophistited metropolis. once more, i realize what a bold move she made by leaving h family and dolat abad behind.bu on the bus, it turns out sommayeh is not the only woman in iran who chooses heown th.

up front, we meet ms. sadjadi, who has been a truck driver for 25 years. (erdbrink speaking): (sadjadi and erdbrink speang): d (erdbrink andjadi speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (sadjadi and erdbrink speaking): (sadjadi speaking): (erdbrink spking): (laughing) (erdbrink speaking): (sadjadi and erdbrink speaking):

(man speaking): (man and erdbrink speaking):: (man speaking) ♪ (erdbrink speaking): nd

(man erdbrink speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (man and erdbrink speaking): >> erdbrink: okay. (both speaking localage) ♪

>> erdbrink: thanks marriage to newsha, i've come to understand this country better all the time. newsha taught me a lot here, and especially about all these invisible rules and all these little mannerisms and things in iranian culture that, if you're an outsider, you just don't understand. >> yeah. i mean, there are many people who come to iran. they think of short-term solution, you know. like, they're young journalists. they want to come here, make name for themselves. so they always pick the subjects that are actually very... very interesting for outside of iran.in >> erd they, they even have a name for this sort of journalism, and it's, especially in photography, it's calle "iran under the veil," and it's always the wish from foreign photographers or foreign journalists to come here and to say, "okay, we managed to bypass

the rules and we saw the iranians without headscarves." >> the reality, yeah.fo i meanus who, we live here, this is very cliché, very cliché. easy journalism and it's not a story anymore. >> but thomas, you can't deny that you're a westerner yourself, so you are always being influenced by these western clichés in yourrt reg. >> erdbrink: naturally. you know, i am a westerner and i work for western media and my audience is also western. but it doesn't mean that i cannot sort of undermine those clichés or give a dit point of view. so, for instance, when i write about a ayatollah gives out ain new ruling sthat all iranians should have five n ildren and the news is that sterilizations of e no longer allowed or actually become a crime, i want twrite a story about that. but then what people in the west like to hear is this confirmation that a ayatollah has said something and it is as if his entire nation listens to this. i come with the other story and i say what the ayatollah says, but i explain that this won't

work the way he wants to, in thisase. >> but you never disagree? >> erdbrink: of course, sometimes we disagree. i an, naturally we have different outlooks. newsha grew up in iran, i grew up in leiden, right? that's a whole different ballgame. and i write for a western audience. and top of that, newsha is now more an artist than a photojournalist, right? >> no, i try to mix both, not photojournalism, but documentary photography and, um, conceptual. >> it's good. basically, there is always something to argue about. go on, continue. >> no, we always argue. >> you always argue? >> yes, yeah. because we both haveifferent ideas, different-- and we don't really compromise withach other. so that's, yeah. >> erdbrink: actually, we compromise all the time. >> yeah, in the end. but we always-- and we like it. this is how we... you know.r, >> but rememn the end, he's the boss. >> he's the boss in his dream.rd >>ink: i don't know. maybe you believe that relationships have a boss and a follower. but for us it alternates. on this subject, she is boss.

on that subject, i am ss. >> yeah, so for money thing, thomas is the boss because i'm horrible. >> erdbrink: and cars. >> i'm horrible with money. i'm, like, the dumbest, you know, person who can handl money, because i don't... (laughs)>> rdbrink: newsha's idea of money is: not spend. >> not spending, yes. >> erdbrink: it's very dutch.go >> it'. (iranian pop song playing) >> erdbrink: and this is how a young man from a small town in the dutch countryside learned to survive in tehran. (yells) (singing continues) (woman singing in local language) full disclosure, i jusbought my first brand-new car. in tehran, a car is much more than a mode of transport. it's a house on wheels, especially if you consider how

many hours you spenditting in endless gridlocks that clog up the city each day. and that is why some basic modifications are an absolute necessity. n (erdbrink and maeaking): (erdbrink speaking): (erdbrink and man speaking): >> erdbrink: of course what i'm doing here is not just covering the windows with film ainst the sun.

i'm trying to crte in my car a world where the state can't peek inside, so newsha can take off her veil without being harass by the morality police. ♪ the plastic film turns the car to a private area, where the les of the state don't apply. but it would be naïve to think k that it wieep them out of your life. in this country, the government is watching you 24/7. an sometimes i'm unpleasantly reminded of this fact. like in 2014, when i startedlm ing my life in iran. one of the first things i had to swallow was the sudden arrest of jason rezaian, my colleague from "the washington post." security agents entered his house and took him and h journalist wife. no, i haven't been able to go to his house. i don't know.

i expect it's under surveillance, you knowwhich is, which is normal here. i had no idea why he had been arrested and where hwas being held. (erdbrink speaking local language) >> erdbrink: according to this news article, the blic prosecutor's office will bring a charge within the next few days. the fact that jason a dual american and iranian citizen and works for "the washington post" doesn't help. since the 1979 revolution,a americs become the number- one apegoat and is blamed fobo juut everything in iran. (man leading crowd in chant) every year, the iranian state thlebrates the anniversary of the takeover of american

embassy and the hostage-taking of its diplomats. imagesf the annual celebration are shown worldwide, reinforcing the western imagof an aggressive nation ruled by revolutionary fanatics.ey but re just a few thousand i a city of millions. (man leading crochant) ♪ ramin! i'm coming down. the man down in the garden is my iranian friend ramin. he works as a journalist for "the los angeles times" and is fascinated by the animositybe een his native iran and the united states. >> see, at the beginning of revolution, there were three slogans: freedom, independence, and islamirepublic of iran. what we understand in iran, and we are reminery friday,

this freedom is freedom om, freedom from american dominance. freedom from american and its lies' dominance. so this is part and parcel of ideology, who we are as iranian. we hate u.s.a. we hate, beyond any , israel. >> erdbrink: so you're saying that hate is one of the pillars of ts ideology. >> hating america. >> erdbrink: hating america... >> and israel. >> erdbrink: hating... hatingri the imistic outsiders. >> hating the other, hating the oppressors is part acel of this ideology. og has been incorporated, this, in the ide if you don't hate the oppressors-- now it's america, later, maybe, france-- ifa amerllapse and there is no

oppressions, so we think about the other things. but as long as there is oppresso we have somebody to hate. ♪ >> erdbrink: of course, the u.s. wie never forget nor forgiv the occupation of thr embassy. (crowd chanting) ret the iranians in turn say they have lots of ons to mistrust the united states. ra in 1953, the democcally elected prime minister mossadegd nationalhe iranian oil industry. the c.i.a. and the british responded by staging a coup d'état, and the highly popular mossadegh was ousted. k the shah was brought bacto power. he proved to be a cruel and oppressive leader, and loyal servant to the u.s. the u.s. took sides against khomeini's revolution, and backed saddam hussein after he started the long war against

iran. hundreds of thousands ofns iraniaere killed. and there was that other dramic event-- almost forgotten in the united states. inin 1988, after a skirmishe persian gulf between some iranian speedboats and the american fleet, a u.s. missile cruiser shot down an iranian civilian airliner. (missile launching) >> we have got him.as that dead-on! (cheering) >> relax! keep the noise down!ck >> knot off! >> erdbrink: all 290 people on board were killed.th >> it appear the captain of that ship followed the rules and, though a tragedy followed, did what he had to do to protect american life. >> erdbrink: the americans said they had mistaken the airbus for a fighter plane. they expressed regrets, but never apologized to iran.♪

♪ that hurt is still not forgotten here. so, it seemed a miracle when in 2014there was suddenly hope. the u.s. joined negotiations for a nuclear agreement that would also ease sanctions on iran. so how do people see that when,t he same time, you know, they're shouting, "death to america," and the state tevision is promoting "dea to america," but at the same time talking to america? >> yes. but remember, this ideology dictates what should be done. it dictates that we are talking with the enemy, america, as a foe, not as a negotiator. not the other side.. >> erdbrink: so, it's fine to say "death to america" because it reminds the people that america is the enemy. yes, the leaders are talking to america... >> but with the enemy, with the foe. >> erdbrink: with the foe.

>> not friend. >> erdbrink: and they're trying to correct the ways ofhe enemy. >> yes. ♪ >> erdbrink: it's a complicated situation here. besides the elected government, there is supreme leader atollah khamenei. he has the final say on all things pitical and religious. he's backed by the hardliners. and if you want to hear their opinions, you haveo visit friday prayers. (man speaking over loudspeaker): >> every fri can see religion is mixed, mingled, and make a concoction, which is called theo-democracy, theo- whatever you call it. >> erdbrink: it reminds

everybody here in iran, religion and politics are mixed. >> those who think wishfully that this sort of talks can lead to any rapprochement or normalizations, that america i one country out of more than90 countries of u.n. generaley assembly, hould come sometimes to stop by the friday prayers in tehran, jus listen. (m): speaking on loudspeaker wh >> erdbrink: se the elected government was talking with the obama administrationin about lithe sanctions, the edreligious hardliners tri to frustrate the negotins.

they needed their foreign enemy. as long as the country was c isolated, thld blame the west for everything going wrong inran. (crowd chanting) >> erdbrink: hamid-reza ahmadabadi is one of the hardliners' most loyal supporters. ♪ y evfriday morning, he jumps on his motcycle to go to the city for theeekly friday prayers.

and every friday, he makes sure he's right there at the front. yelling close tohe cameras, it earned him a nickname in iran: mr. big mouth. (ahmadabadi and erdbrink speaking): (erdbrink speaking):

(erdbrink speaking): (erdbrink and ahmadabadi speaking): >> erdbrink: the first thing i notice in his house are the two decorations on the wall. one is a picture of thsupreme leaders. the other one depicts the famous iranian poet omar kh holding a glass of wine and a

beautiful woman. if this poet were to go out onth street like this today, he'd be in serious trouble. (erdbrink speaking): ♪ (chanting)

>> erdbrink: perhaps it is not surprising mr. big mouth is choosing the supreme leader over the poet. he doesn't want to let the wicked western world in. but ayatollah khamenei was still allowing the nuclear talks to continue. d as long as the sanctio were here, i, just like all iranians, had to deal with thesi effects. "we cannot locate the bank that your card belongs to.r press to get yrd." so you can't use atms, because our banks are not allowed to do business in iran. ta-da! you end up with stackscash. try stuffing this in your wallet or poct! ♪ while the sanctions were meant to keep the western world out, e western product has always been available in tehran: theol americanr.

(shouting indistinctly) after all, iran has always been a nation of traders. ak (man speg): (men shouting):rd ink speaking): (man speaking): (erdbrink speaking (erdbrink and man speaking): (man speakg):

>> erdbrink: so thisdos the ar bazaar and euro bazaar. people can change money here,d. an but these are not normal people. these are all tradesmen. d they know each other. that guy, he's the boss of everything. the guys who stand on top,hey have more information than the rest. (erdbrink speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (man speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (man speaking): ♪ because there still was no news from my "wasngton post" colleague jason, i started counting the days he had been

imprisoned. day 105 now.st anl there is no official complaint. >> that is part of the power-- ambiguity, unpredictability. and this is also part of the tradition, part of the culture. it was in sassanid time the same, pre-islac time the same. the sassanid kings rul the same way. now is the same.ar and in my time was the same. unpredictability.en ou don't know what is the punishment for anything wrong i do. for the same wrong thing that you commit and i do, we have different jails, different punishment. you may be forgiven. i may be in jail for ten years.t so what is result? as a citizen, i'm always intimidated.

there is less and less risk takers, less and less people are eager to speak out their minds. ♪ less and less dialogue, debates, interactions, more isolations. everybody make a wall around himself to be safe, because he cannot trust. ♪ >> erdbrink: if you're feeling miserable in iran, desperately searching for nsolation, not sure about the future, there is at least one place where you can go. just take the bus to the city of shiraz, and then walk to the tomb of the famous iranian poet hafez.

isthough the poet died 800 years ago, hundreds ofors gather here every day, each of them harboring a secret wish. is is where they hope to get answers about their future. (erdbrink speang): uh-huh. ea (erdbrink ng): (man speaking):

♪ >> erdbrink: every iranian owns pies of hafez' poems. he's a national hero,wh and asked, every iranian will have a couple of favorite verses at the ready. (erdbrink speaking): (laughing) (woman speaking): (erdbrink speaking):

(laughing) (erdbrink speaking): (woman and erdbrink speaking): (laughing) (man and women speaking): (woman 2 speaking):g) (woman 1 speak (woman and erdbrink speaking):

ki(erdbrink and woman spea): (erdbrink and woman speaking): (woman and erdbrink speaking): ♪ ne >> is there an from your colleague from "the washington post" since yesterday? >> there w something in pars news, which is... i don't know it's official or non-official, but actually it's very suspicious. >> erdbrink: it seems ve well connected. they accuse him of being involved in producing of a video clip of the pharrell song

"happy." you know, this american singer pharrell, he had a song called-- ♪ because i'm happy --like this. and then iranians have also made, you know, a copy, a parody of this clip. because you know, these youngey kids, ant to be part of the world. and then these kids were arrested and now ty're saying that jason has masterminded the video clip. >> or paid the cost of it.br >> ek: or paid for it. >> ♪ because i'm happy clap along if you feel lika room without a roof cause i'm happy ♪ >> erdbrink: so when the american singer pharrell released his big hit "happy," young iranians made their own version of it. quite innocent, but still, this is iran. >> ♪ because i'm happy >> erdbrink: men and women aresu noosed to expose themselves dancing together. ♪ within a few days, they were all arrested. at least one person i know woulo

haveheartedly approved of that arrest. (ahmadabadi speaking): >> erdbrink: internet? (erdbrink speaking): (ahmadabadi speaking): (ahmadabadi speaking):

(erdbrink speaking): >> ♪ bring me down can't nothin'ea >> erdbrink: mhile, the young people who made the iranian version of the "happy" song were forced to appear on state television. with their backs to the camera, they had to exess their deepest regrets. (woman speaking): >> erdbrink: after that, the judge gave them a sentence of 90 lashes, suspended.

♪ (erdbrink and ahmadabadiea ng):

(motor starting) >> erdbrink: day after day, this lonely soldier went out to defend what he thought was the right ideology of the islamic republic. but by his own admission, the tide was against h.so ciety was changing, and no matter how much he wan, he feared thahe would end up losing his battle against modernity. (sging) ♪ two months later, much to big mouth's regret, president obama signed the nuclear deal, lifting sancons against iran.r, a day la after 544 days in jail, my colleague jason was released in a prisoner exchange. ♪

(erdbrink and man speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (man speaking): (erdbrink laughs) (man speaking): (erdbrink and man speaking): (m and erdbrink speaking): (man 2 speaking): (man 1 speaking): (man 1 and erdbrink speaking):

(man 1 speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (man 1 speaking): (man 3 speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (laughing) (man speaking): ♪ >> erdbrink: by w, i'm used to the fact that america is always blamed for everything in iran,

even for the dried up river of life in isfahan. it's almost as if iran wants an enemy. ayatollah khomeini understood this like no other. when he me to power, he made sure to preserve the image of a lonely country, all alone against the rest of the world. (erdbrink spking): d (erdbrink n speaking local language) ♪ (erdbrink and man speaking): >> erdbrink: this man took care of ayatollah khomeini's finaial affairs for nine years. according to him, the leader of the revoluti was a modest man. he lived in this tiny room on at budg of less than $200 a month. (ebrim speaking):

>> erdbrink: (crowd chanting) (ebrahim speaking): ♪

♪ nv erdbrink: it is a reoccurring topic in many coersations: the long war between iran and iraq. in saddam hussein, khomeini found an enemy who unid the country. the iranians rallied around their leader, standing shoulder to shoulder. men of all ages rushed to the front line hundreds of thousands died in the desert. br (erdk speaking):

♪ >> erdbrink: the word "martyr" became an honorary title. familyembers of those who died were given a special status. and evenoday, life-size portraits of the martyrs adorn the city walls. ♪ here at behesht-e zahra cemetery in the south of tehran, the

rtyrs are buried side by side in endless numbers.f mothem were killed during the war with saddam hussein. almost every iranian family has buried a loved one here. ♪ if you want to understand the concept of martyrdom, you can avel to a city like khomeini shahr-- named after ayatollah o khomeinithe day of ashura. every year, shia pilgrmournde the violenh of imam husayn, the grandson of the prophet muhammad. (erdbrink speaking): (girl speaking): (erdbrink speaking):

(girl and erdbrink speaking): (girl speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (man speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (man speaking):

(man chanting on loudspeaker) ♪ >> erdbrink: this is my friend

nieje. her father died in 1981 during the war against iraq. shortly before, he and his family had returned to iran from the united states, filled with ideals. he wanted toelp make the islamic revolution a success. but when war broke out, he volunteered and was killed. (erdbrink speaking): (nieje speaking):

(nieje speaking): (erdbrink and nieje speaking): ♪

♪ >> erdbrink: most westerners il to comprehend why you would desire a martyr's death. do iranians really regard suffering as an honor?ay or is it ao make the pain of losing your loved ones more bearable? in any case, they find it a lot easier to make sense of incomprehensible events than i do. most likely, also behind this dry river bed, a divine power is

at work. it's hard to believe that this once wide river has been dry for three years now. where did the water go? no one seems to know. on the riverbank, you can hear all kinds of rumors. "the water will come back in a week," they say, "or maybe in a few ys, or no, in a month, and then it will stay forever." (erdbrink and man speaking): (erdbrinspeaking):

♪ >> erdbrink: this year, 500 million trees died across the country. some iranian officials-- the ones who dare-- say the drought is a much bigger problem than iran's enemies abroad. ♪ (erdbrink and man spea (man a erdbrink speaking): rd

(eink and man speaking): (laughing) (erdbrink speaking):

(erdbrink speaking): ♪ >> erdbrink: the man at the carrot-washing pnt expects a future filled with rain and snow, god willing, of course. sometimes it seems attractive to put your faith into the hands of a higher power. but the flip side is that you have to be ready to sacrifice your life for it. ♪ (erdbrink and man speaking):

(erdbrink speaking ♪ >> erdbrink: since the war with saddam hussein, the religious leaders label every conflictac ross the border as "a holy war." ntr a long time, iran de sending troops io syria and iraq. not any longer. in 2017, the supreme leader appears in person at the funeral of the beheaded martyr to console the widow and his two-year-old son. ha nei speaking): as

(camera flhes snapping) (erdbrink speaking): but not all iranians share those feelings.

♪ >> erdbrink: i've never been able to track down one of the volunteers fighting across the borders. then i discover one, who has been posting messages on instagram. (rifle firing) yr his account, by 2017, he'd been fighting in sia and iraq seven times. (gunfire playing on phone)

(erdbrink speaking):

(explosion bangs) en (mn video shouting) br >> ek: you won't hear mojtaba talking about expanding iranian influence into the region.ac rding to him, he was only there to protect the holy shia shrines. and of course to clean up isis. (mojtaba speaking): (erdbrink speaking): if

(mojtaba'sand mojtaba speaking):

(gunfire rattling) (mojba's wife speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (mojtaba's wife speaking):

♪ (mojtaba speaking): (mojba's wife speaking): e

brink: i don't know what to think of mojtaba. it seems as if he can'wait to become a martyr himself.ll i him on instagram. one of his posts is a video of a young wounded man, chosen by god to die as a martyr with smile on his face. then a last message: mojtaba left his family again to fight one more holy battle. (train rumbling) ac

i take the trainto isfahan and find a seat in an empty compartment. for a few hours, i enjoy the sight of the impressive untains. as the train descends to the desert, i notice some excitement amongst the fellow passengers. it seems a miracle has happened. according them, the water has come back to the river of life in isfahan. (iranian pop song playing) for a while, things were back to norl. nobody seem to wonder how this could happen or if the water would stay. (pop song continues)

(pop song stops) three weeks ter, the water was gone again. ♪ (glass clinking) (erdbrink speaking, corded): (glass clinking) (man speaking):

an speaks, group repeats): (mirza and group speaking): (samin speaking): >> erdbrink: in the islamic republic, alcohol was banned from the beginning. if you drank, you were flogged.

that was the traditionalth solution tproblem. it didn't work, of course. e real solution came fro overseas-- an american concept dating bk to 1935. (erdbrink speaking): (man speaking): (erdbrink and man speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (man speaking): (erdbrink and man speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (mirza and man speaking):

(erdbrink speaking): in (erdand man 2 speaking): (man 3 speaking): (erdbrink speaking): in (lau (erdbrink speaking):

(group members laughing) (erdbrink speaking): ♪ if you want to live here in the islamic republic, you have to stick to the rules. but those rules are never completely clear. so it's often a matter of interpretation by the law enforcement officers on duty. sommayeh had bad luck this morning. m she sea message that she was stopped by the morality police. (sommayeh speaking):

♪ >> erdbrink: it's a dilemma facing women in iran. it's okay to be beautiful, but you're not supposed to show off your beauty in public. all you're allowed to show is your face. maybe that's the reason why elnaz golrokh is so famous in iran. she's a makeup artist with more than 1.3 million followers on instagram. (golrokh speaking): (erdbrk speaking): (golrokh speaking)

ngrdbrink and golrokh spea (erdbrink and golrokh speaking): (erdbrink speaking):in (golrokh speak:

(erdbrink and woman speaking): ♪ >> erdbrink: if owning a new car is what it takes for a man, then i'm sorted. all that women have are their facial expressions. in iranian cinema, this is taken to extremes. there, you would never see men and women hugging or kissing. because there are so few foreigners in iran, i was once asd to act in a movie. i played the part of a man who is released from prison after a four-month sennce and finally gets to see his loved one again. and all that yeaing, desire, and all the love he missed out on has to be expressed through the eyes only. nothing else is allowed. well, this is the relt. hi.

>> erdbrink: well, no oscar for that. the lead role was played by mahnaz afshar. (man speaking): >> erdbrink: she's the biggest star iiranian cinema. and burning love stories are her specialty. k: >> erdbrt's tricky, because the whole film is about love. mahnaz is the queen of looks. she can tell you with one look that she loves you. and not only her co-star, but the entire audience. that's why mahnaz is in such high demand. (ahar speaking under music >> erdbrink: to me, it seems as if they're making do. but in iran, it's all we've got. it's almost as if the thick

glass partition that is there tu sad the physical distance between men and women on the see contout there in the real world. iran is a country with a lot of rules, which means that a lot of fun things are actually banned here under islamic law.t buthat of course doesn't means that fun thidon't happen in iran. listen here for instance. something is happening here.rs of c i know what is happening here; my friend sooni giving a zumba class. inside, women are dancing, they're wearinsports clothes. and these are all things that we are not allowed to film. not only foreign journalists aro allowed to film, no one is technically allowed to film aose. this is another gra: exercise is allowed here, also for women. but when it looks like jumping or dancing-- like zumba-- it suddenly isn't anymore. where do they draw the line? >> what do you think?co

>> prett. el yes, it is. >> erdbrink: with tic? >> (laughs): yeah. >> erdbrink: the question is, can i tell sooni's story about starting a zumba business without getting her into trouble? (dance music playing) look, these are american women doing zumba. but this is nothing compared to the explosive energy that sooni brings into this ercise. but am i allowed to broadcast that? (erdbrink speaking): (soonipeaking, laughing): (erdbrink speaking): (sooni speaking):

(erdbrink speaking): >> that's your problem, actually. i'm not making movies. (erdbrink speaking): my problem is that i want to show something you can't sw. we can't show this. it will likely be considered offensive. a man and a woman together is probably out of the question. just me, a man alone, that is allowed. and i even think that women are allowed to watch me. (dance music playing)

i decide to k ramin, my friend and colleague, to call an expert-- a cleric he knows, a mullah. he should know what is and isn't allowed. (man on phone and ramin speaking): (man speaking on phone): on (man speakinhone):

(man speaking on phone): ak (ramin sg): so if you guarantee that this odance or sport dancing, y seen by the female population. >> erdbrink: yeah, hello! we're already men. in>> no, we are just commi sin. we are committing sin, i don't know great one or a small one, but it is sin, and he said, this

gentleman, clergyman, well-versed clergyman, he says that, "i'm not decision maker. you should call the censor man." but avoid the risk and to avoid putting this lady-- i mean, avoiding trouble for her-i s better to blur it. >> erdbrink: but that means no onwill be able to see it. >> but you can see the movementr you can imagine, visualize, w fantasiztever. imagination is a good place! (dance music playing) >> erdbrink: so the clerices don't know exactly, either.ce his advis, "blur her." but what exactly should i blur? only the body parts that make the iranian man feel uneasy? or her whole body? or, to be sure, everything?

nobody can give me a definite answer. perhaps it seems childish to go on about this. buc.this is an islamic repub your personal freedom and space are determined by the state, which explains its arity byhe invoking till of god. messing with that is a risky business, both for men and women. (e brink and sommayeh speaking): rd ink imitating fanfare)

>> erdbrink: wow.

♪ >> erdbrink: after 17 years of living in iran, i still struggle with how the state interferes in your private life. when i said that to a mullah once, he said, "don't think that climbing a mountain brings you closer to god. god will come to you if he deems it necessary." maybe that's the problem. because god can't be eere at the same time. for everyday matters, we must rely on his spokespersons on earth. in this case, that's supreme leader khamenei. and under him is an army of officials.

so if i want to know if i can film sooni without getting her into trouble, i should pay a visit to this man. he is the tv censor. (e

brink and man speaking): (erdbrink speaking):

(erdbrink speaking): (dance music playing) >> erdbrk: finally, some clarity. this rule i understand. western viewers can see this, but it wilnever be shown in iran. (dance music continues)

♪ the different explanations ofs the ru the supreme leader's intermediaries are reason for protest fro sides. not onlyrom the young, modern iranians, but even from conservatives, like my religious friend nieje.

♪ >> erdbrink: i happen to know somebody with a pair of those male hands. and it's not surprising nieje finds it difficult to deal with the way he views women. (ahmadabadi speaking): hm

abadi speaking): in

>> erd maybe mister big mouth will succeed in keeping his wife in the kitchen. but married to someone else, he would have a far more difficult time. nieje, for instance, is not willing to let anyone tell her what to think.

♪ >> erdbrink: those conversations were in 2015, when the future looked almost promising. ople seemed less afraid express their opinions. and with the sanctions lifted, they hoped the countryould finally open up to the rest of the world. in short, life could only become better. still, not everybody sred thatti opstic vision. (erdbrink and sommayeh speaking):

(erdbrink speaking): (erdbrink speaking (sommayeh speaking):

♪ >> next time, in parttw of "our man in tehran." (man speaking): >>t's three years later. >> in this country especially, if you live with fear, you're done. (wom screaming): >> as change comes to theco untry... >> cash is gonna buy it. i love iran! >> ...the hardliners push back. (erdbrink and man speaking): ♪ >> while some iranians dream ofr amica... (man speaking): >> ...others can't forget iran. (man speaking): >> it's a map of iran. (erdbrink speaking): get back in the car. >> but nevertheless, life goes on. erdbrink: we're gonna make baby.

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rick steves: hi. i'm rick. stev this "travel as a political act" special, i'll share experiences and lessons gleaned from a lifetime traveling, adventuring from iran to denmark and morocco to el salvador. and i'll explain how travel can humanize our world and give us a better understanding of the challenges that come with globaon. my goal--to inspire you to travel out of your comfort zone, gain an empathy with the other 96% of humanity, and bring home what i consider the greatest of uvenirs--a broader perspective. thanks for joining us. man: ladies and gentlemen, rick steves! [cheering] rick: thank you.