♪ >> thomas erdbrink: once upon a time, on a dustyoad, i met a girl. >> (laughing) >> erdbrink: it was of the most isolated countries in the world. (crowd chanting) >> joining us now is tehran bureau cef for "the new york times"... >> thomas erdbrink, welcome to the program and thank you for joing me. >> erdbrink: 17 years later, i'm still here. >> (chuckling) >> filmed over four years. (erdbrink speaking): >> stories from the inside. (preacher speaking):he in a country nothing is allowed... >> but everything is possible. >> erdbrink: for you.

>> a special two-part "frontline" series. (erdbrinspeaking) >> "our man in tehran." >> say the truth! thiss journalist, you know? say all the... >> erdbrink: this is tv, we cannot tk very long. >> frontline is made possible by contributions to your pb station from viewers like you. thank you. and by the corporation f public broadcasting. major support is provided by the john d. and catherine t. madrthur foundation, commit to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information is available at macfound.org. the ford foundation: working with visionaries on the front lines of social change worldwide. at fordfoundation.org. daditional support is provided by the abrams foon: committed to excellence in journalism. the park foundation,edicated to heightening public awareness of critical issues. the john and helen glessner mily trust. supporting trustworthy journalism that informs and

inspires. and by the frontline journalism fund, with major supportd from jon 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 this dusty road. like me, she had come to see the last solar eclipse of the 20th century. ♪ i was a student journalist and e, she was a young photographer. (newsha speaking): >> erdbrink: yeah. (newsha spking): >> erdbrink: here it was all a

dund sand and people, riving by bus to see the eclipse. this was also the first time i saw newshabecause these 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.n and the wos, of course, everybody got out first. and i saw newsha walking by and then in my imagination, she looked up to me and we had,nt like, a mo (laughing) >> absolutely lie. (laus) i'm taking pictures and i saw there is a queue of maybe oner kilome people, old people, young people, middle-aged. they're all waiting, and someone is doing moon dancing. and it was thomas and he was signing-- he was givinge signaturas if he's michael jason and was doing moon dancing. >> erdbrink: well, what happened, that i figured these people, they haven't seen a foreigner since the revolution. and a young guy came up to me and said, "are you michael

jackson?" 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 eld saying, "if you're mic 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 girl from the dutch countryside and would, maybe woulhave been different and maybe in many ways it would have been easier, but i'm happy i choose you. >> of course youhould be. (laughing) ♪ >> erdbrink: that was in 1999, 20 years aer a massive popular uprising had ended the long rule of shah mohammad reza pahlavi. ayatollah khomeini returned from paris and the shah's rege, both fairytale-like and

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 past7 years. >> thomas erdbrink, welcome to the program and thank you for joining me. >> joining us now is tehran bureau chief for "the new york time... >> erdbrink: you mustn't forget, these people have been living under incredible pressures over thlast years. deal or no deal, it will definitely be an end to the status quo as we have seen it now. >> all right, thomas erdbrink of "the new york times," thank you very much. >> erdbrink: okay, thank you for having me. (water splashing) ♪ i am one of the last foreign

journalists still alto work here. it hasn't always been easy. it has taken me years to getpe rmission to produce this series, starti back in 2014. we are given permits to film on the streets.wa there are some suspicious officials who refuse to believe us and tell us we are not allowed to film. but usually, after a bit of waiting, some discussions and many phone calls, we part the best of friends and are free to carry on. perhaps e best way to show what it's like to live in a country like iran is to start from the inside, with 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): (erdink speaking):

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

>> erdbrink: this is the neighborho where i found myself a first place to stay. (man speaking on loudspeaker): in the beginning, tehran seemede mysterious to and with its a many wallsnd doors, it seemed an almost inaccessible city. ♪ but thanks to my mare to newsha, i discovered behd those barriers a completely different world. >> (callin >> erdbrink: at first, i got arm lot of my inion during lunchtime with my in-laws, especially about the complated cultural rules in this country. newsha is the only woman here 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, s doesn't want to take any chances and get into trouble.

(erdbrink and woman speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (woman a erdbrink speaking): ngrdbrink and woman 2 spea (erdbrink speaking): (newsha speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (woman 1 speaking): (newsha and woman 2 speaking)

(newsha speakingsh (newa and erdbrink speaking): but i ask you to marry me. yes. rd >>ink: that's true. >> yeah, yeah, i asked him to marry me. (woman and newsha speaking): (man and newsha speaking): (woman 2 speaking): (newsha speaking): (man 2 speaking): (newsha and erdbrink speaking): (erdbrink and newsha speaking): (laughing) ♪ in

>> erdbr so, this is how i spend my days. sometimes, after lunch, i go out. as a foreigner, you're instantly proached by friendly people. iranians are always happy to chat. about whatever subject. >> erdbrink: (woman and erdbrink speaking): >> erdbrink: yes, yes! (erdbrink and woman king): in

>> erd friendly... (man and ebrink speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (speaking local language): yes, i'm coming. it's very hard to get a word in here-- people come up to 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?" aughing) but the reason i came this day b was to a cake. ♪

see this big box? i have some making up to do. (erdbrink and sommayeh spking): et sommayeh, my assistan for "the new york times." she moved into a new apartment and i should have dropped by ages ago. (e rdbrink speaking): (erdbrink speaking): >> erdbrink: divorced women havd a ha time in iran, but their numbers are growing, especially in the cities. it has takenommayeh months 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, orthodox town near isfahan. she married a cousin 12 years her senior, but the marriage didn't work out. (erdbrink speaking): (sommayeh speaking):

>> erdbrink: somyeh used to be a brilliant student of the quran. actually, she was so gat 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): (erdbrink and sommayeh speaking):

♪ (laughing) ♪ >> erdbrink: i want to find out more about this dusty, nservative 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 must have been clching his teeth when he found out about his daughter's divorce and her cosmopolitan lestyle. (erdbrink and man speaking): (erdbrink and woman speaking): (erdbrink speaking): s (womaking): (erdink speaking):

(woman speaking): (erdbrinspeaking):

(voice breaking)

♪ >> things seem frozen here. things do not change that much. you know, when i was a little child, it was almost this, like that it isow. you can see new houses are trying to be reblt, refurnished outside, inside. but the speed is still slow. people cannot afford, you know, refreshing everything on in a while. and i think it's the same forat

wh happening in their mind as well, you know? speed of life isoo slow here. ♪ (woman speaking): sp (erdbrinking): (woman speaking): tl

(women talking s ♪ ♪ >> erdbrink: the following day, we returned to the capital. compared to the sleepy,io tradl town where sommayeh was born, tehran looks like a sophisticated metropolis. once more, i realize what a bold move she made by leaving her family and dolat abad behind. but, on the bus, it turns out sommayeh is not the only woman in iran who chooses her own path. up front, we meet ms. sadjadi,

who has been a truck driver for 25 years. (erdbrink speaking): (sadjadi and erdbrink speaking): (engbrink and sadjadi speaki (erdbrink speaking): rd (eink speaking): (sadjadi and erdbrink spking): (sadjadi speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (laughing) (erdbrink speaking): (sadjadi and erdbrink speaking):

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

(man and erdbrink speaking): (erdbrink speaking): rdbrink speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (man and erdbrink speaking): >> erdbrink: okay. (both speaking local language) ♪

>> erdbrink:hanks to my marriage to newsha, i've come to understand this country betterme all the newsha taught me a lot here, and especially about all these invisible rules and all thesene little msms and things in iranian culture that, if you're an outder, 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 themselve so they always pick these subjects that are actually very... very interesting for outside of iran. en>> erdbrink: they, they have a name for this sort of journalism, and it's, especially in photography, it's called "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 bypa the rules and we saw the iranians without headscarves."

>> the reality, yeah. i mean, for us who, we live here, this is very cliché, very cliché. easy journalism and it's not aym story e. >> but thomas, you can't deny that you're a westerner yourself, so you are always being influenced by these western clichés in your reporting. >> 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 ior cannotof undermine those clichés or give a different point of view. so, for instance, when i write about a ayatollah gives out a new ruling saying that all iranians should have fivech dren and the news is that sterilizations of men are no longer allowed oactually become a crime, i want to write a story about that. but then what people iwest 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 h work the wwants to, in this case.

>> but you never disagree? >> erdbrink: of course, sometimes we disagree. i mean, naturally weave different outlooks. grwsha grew up in iran, i ew up in leiden, right? that's a whole different ballgame. and i write for a western audience. and on top of that, newsha is htw more an artist than a photojournalist, r >> no, i try to mix both, notou photalism, 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 have different ideas, different-- and we don't really compromise with each other. so that's, yeah. >> erdbrink: actually, we compromise all the time.e >> yeah, in d. but we always-- and we like it. this is how we... you know. >> b remember, in the end, he's the boss. >> he's the boss in his dream. >> erdbrink: i don't maybe you believe that relationships have a boss and a follower. but for us it alternates. on ts subject, she is boss. on that subject, i am boss.

>> yeah, so for money thing, thomas is the boss because i'm horrible. >> erdbrink: and cars.or >> i'mble with money. i'm, like, the dumbest, you know, person who can handle money, because i don't... a'aughs) >> erdbrink: newidea of money is: not spend. >> not spending, yes. >> erdbrink: it's very dutch. >> it's good. (iranian pop song playing) ow>> erdbrink: and this is a young man from a small town in the dutch countryside learned to survive in tehran.el (y) (singing continues) (woman singing in local language) full disclosure, i just bought 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 spend sitting in

endless gridlocks that clog up the city each day. and that is why some basic modifications are an absolute necess (erdbrk and man speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (erdbrink and man speaking): i'merdbrink: of course wha doing here is not just covering the windows with film against the sun. i'm trying to create in my car

a world where the state can't peek inside, so newsha can take off her veil without being harassed by the morality police ♪ the plastic film turns the carre teto a private where the rules of the sta don't apply. but it would be naïve to think fat it will keep them out your life. in this country, the government is watching you 24/7. un and sometimes i'easantly reminded of this fact. like in 2014, when i started filming my life in in. one of the first things i had to swalw was the sudden arrest jason rezaian, my colleague from "the washington st." security agents entered his house and took h and his journalist wife. no, i haven't been able to go to hihouse. i don't know. i expect it's under surveillance, you know, which

is, which is normal here. i d no idea why he had bee arrested and where he was being held.in (erdspeaking local language) >> erdbrink: according to this news article, the public prosecutor's office will bring a charge within the next few days. the fact that jason is a dual american and iranian citizen and works for "the washington post" doesn't help. since the 1979 revolution, america has become the number- one scapegoat and islamed for just about everything iran. an leading crowd in chant) every year, the iranian state celebrates the anniversary of the takeover of the american embassy and the hoage-taking

of its diplomats. images of the annual cebration are shown worldwide, reinforcing the western image of an aggressive nation ruled by revolutionary fanatics. but they are just a fesand in a city of millions. (man leang crowd in chant) ♪ 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 animosity between his native iran and the united states. >> see, at the beginning of revolution, there were three slogans: freedom, independence, and islamic republic of iran what we understand in iran, and we a reminded every friday, this freedom is freedom from,

freedom from american dominance. freedom from american and itse. allies' domina so this is part and parcel of ideology, who we are as iranian. we hate u.s.a. we hate, beyond any remedy, israel. >> erdbrink: so you're saying that hate is o of the pillars of this ideology. >> hating america. >> erdbrink: hating america... >> and israel. >> erdbrink: hating... hating s.the imperialistic outsid >> hating the other, hating the oppressors ipart and parcel of this ideology. it has been incorporated, this, in the ideology. if you don't hate the oppressors-- now it's america, later, maybe, france-- if america collapse and there is no oppression so we think about the other things.

but as long as there is oppressor, we have somebodto hate. ♪ >> erdbrink: of course, the u.s. will never forget r forgive the occupation of their embassy. (crowd chanting) but the iranians in turn say they have lots of reasons to mistrust the united states. in 1953,he democratically elected prime minister mossadegh nationalized the iranian oil industry. the c.i.a. and the british responded by staging a coup d'état, and the highly popular mossadegh was ousted. the shah was brought back to power. he proved to be a cruel and oppressive leader, and a loyal servant to the u.s. the u.s. took sides against khomeini's revolution, andda backed sm hussein after he started the long war against iran.

hundreds of thousands of iranians were killed. and there was that other dramatic event-- almost forgotten in the united states. in 1988, after akirmish in the 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. that was a dead-on! (cheering) >> relax! keep the noise down! >> knock it off! >> erdbrink: all 290 pon board were killed. >> iappears that the captain of that ship followed the rules and, though a tragedy followed, did what he had to do to protect american life.he >> erdbrink:mericans said they had mistaken the airbus for a fighter plane.ey xpressed regrets, but never apologized to iran. ♪

that hurt is still not forgotten here. so, it seemed a miracle when in 2014, there was suddenlyope. the u.s. joined negotiations for a nuclear agreement that would also ease sanctions on iran. yo how do people see that when, at the same timeknow, they're shouting, "death to america," and the state television is promotg "death to america," but at the same time talking to america? >> yes. but remember, this ideologyat dict 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.de yes, the l are talking to america... >> but with the enemy, with the e. >> erdbrink: with the foe. >> not friend. >> erdbrink: and they're trying to correct the ways of the

enemy. >> yes. ♪ >> erdbrink: it's a complicated situation here. besides the elected government, there is supreme leader ayatollah khamenei. he has the final say on all things political and religious. he's backed by the hardlers. and if you want to hear their opinions, you have to visit friday prayers. (man speaking over loudspeaker): >> every friday we can seed, religion is miingled, andco make a cion, which is called theo-democracy, theo- whatever you call it. >> erdbrink: it remindsyb evy 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 is one country out of more than 190 countries of u.n. general asmbly, they should come sometimes to stop by the friday prayers in tehran, just to listen. (man speaking on loudspeaker): >> erdbrink: so while the elected government was talking with the obama administration tout lifting the sanction religious hardliners tried to frustrate e negotiations. they needed their foreign enemy.

as long as the country was isoled, they could blame the west for everything going wrong in iran. (crowd chanting) >> erdbrink: hamid-reza ahmadabadi is one of the hardliners' most loyal supporters. ♪ every friday morninghe jumps on his motorcycle to go to the city for the weekly friday prayers.

and every friday, he makes sure he's right there at the front. yelling close to the 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 the supreme leaders. the other one depicts the famous iranian poet omar khayyam, holding a glass of wine and abe tiful woman.

is this poet were to go out on the street like oday, he'd be in serious trouble. (erdbrink speaking): ♪ (chanting) >> erdbrink: perhapst 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. and as long as the sanctions were here, i, just like all iranians, had to deal with the side effects. "we cannot locate the bank that your card belongs to. press get your card." so you can't use atms, because our banks are not allowed to do business in iran. ta-da! you end up with stacks of cash. try stuffing this inr wallet or pocket! ♪ while the sanctions were meant to keep the western out, one western product has always been available in tehran: the american dollar. (shouting indiinctly)

after all, iran has always been a nation of traders. (man speaking): (men shouting): (erdbrink speaking): (man speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (erdbrink and man speaking): (man speaking):

>> erdbrink: so this is the dollar bazaar and euro bazaar. people can change monehere, and... but these are not normal people.ar these all tradesmen. and they know ea other. that guy, he's the boss of everything. the guys who stand on top, they have more information than the rest. br (ek speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (man speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (man speaking): ♪ because there still was no news from my "washington post"ea coe jason, i started counting the days he had been imprisoned.

day 105 now. and still there is no official complain >> that is part of the power--it ambi unpredictability. and this is also part of the tradition, part of the culture. it was in sassanid time the same, pre-islamic time the same. the sassanid kings ruled the same way. now is the same. and in monarchy time was the same. unpredictability. then you don't know what is the punishment for anything wrong i do.me for the rong thing that you commit and i do, we haveer difft jails, different punishment. you may be forgiven. i may be in jail for ten years. so what is the 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 dialoguedebates, interactions, more isolaons. everybody make a wall around himself to be safe, because he cannot trust. ♪ >> erdbrink: if you're feeling miserae in iran, desperately searching for consolation, not sure about the future,here 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.

althou the poet died 800 years ago, hundreds of visitors gathee very day, each of them harboring a secret wish.ey this is where ope to get answers about their future. (erdbrink speaking): uh-huh. (ebrink speaking): (man speaking):

♪ >> erdbrink: every iranian ownsp copies of hafems. he's a national hero, and when asked, every iranian will have a couple of favori verses at the ready. (erdbrink speaking (laughing) (woman speaking): (erdbrink speaking):

(laughing) (erdbrink speaking): a (wom erdbrink speaking): (laughing) (man and women speaking): (woman 2 speaking): (woman 1 speaking): (woman and erdbrink speaking): (erdbrink and man speaking):

(erdbrink and woman speaking): (woman and erdbrink speaking): ♪ >> is there any news from your colleague from "the washingtonst post" since day? >> there was 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 very well connected. they accuse him of being involved in producing of a video clip of the pharrell song

"happy." you know, this american singer h pharrell, a song called-- ♪ because i'm happy s. --like t and then iranians have also made, you know, a copy, a parody of this clip. because you know, these young kids, they want to be part of the world. t and thse kids were arrested and now they're saying that jason has masterminded the video clip. >> or paid the cost of it. >> erdbrink: or paid f >> ♪ because i'm happy clap along if you feel like a room without a roof because 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 are not supposed to expose themselves dancing together. ♪ within a few days, they were all arrested. at least one person i know would have wholeheartedly ap of

that arrest. (ahmadabadi speaking): >> erdbrink: internet? (erdbrink speaking): (ahmadabadi speaking): ea (ahmadabadi ng):

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

♪ (erdbrink and ahmadabadi speaking):

(motor starting) >> erdbrink: day after day, this lonely soldier went out to defend what he thought was the right ideology of the islamic republic.is but bywn admission, the tide was against him.ng society was ch, and no matter how much wanted it, he feared that he would end u losing his battle againstit modern (singing) ♪ two months later, much to big mouth's regret, president obama signed the nuclear deal, lifting sanctions against ir. aya day later, after 544 ds in jail, my colleague jason was i releasa prisoner exchange. ♪

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

(man 1 speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (man 1 speaking): (man 3 speakin: (erdbrink speaking): (laughing) (man speaking): ♪ >> erdbrink: by now, 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 came to power, he de sure to preserve the image of a lonely country, all alone against the rest of the world. (erdbrink speaking): (erdbrink and man speaking local language) ♪ sp (erdbrink and man eaking): >> erdbrink: this man took carel of ayato khomeini's financial affairs for nine thars. according to him, leader of the revolution was a modest man. he lived in this tiny room on a budget of less than $200 a month. (ebrahim speaking):

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

♪ >> erdbrink: it is a reoccurring topic in many conversations: the long war between iran and iraq. in saddam hussein, khomeini found an enemy who united the country.an the irians rallied around their leader, standing shoulder to shoulder.of mell ages rushed to the front line. hundreds of thousands died in the desert. (erdbrink speaking):

♪ >> erdbrink: the word "martyr" became an honorary title. family members of those o died were given a special status. and even today, life-size portraits of the martyrs adorn the city walls. ♪ here at behesht-e zahra cemetery in the south of tehran, theri martyrs are bu side by side

ed endless numbers. most of them were 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 l travel to a cie khomeini shahr-- named after ayatollah uromeini-- on the day of a every year, ia pilgrims mourn the violent death 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) ♪ rd >>ink: 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 to help 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 westernersnd fail to comprehy you would desire a martyr's death.s do iranially regard suffering as an honor? or is it a way to make the pain of ling your loved ones more bearable? in any case, they find it a lot easier to make sense of anincomprehensible events 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 l kinds of rumors. "the water will come back in a week," they sa "or maybe in a few days, or no, in a month, and then it will stay forever." (erdbrink and man speaking): (erdbrink speaking):

♪ >> 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 speaking): (man and erdbrink speang): sp

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

♪ >> erdbrink: the man at the carrot-washing plant 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 l yoe for it. ♪ (erdbrink and man speaking):

(erdbrink eaking): ♪ >> erdbrink: since the war with saddam hussein, the religiouss leaderlabel every conflictr across the boras "a holy war." for a long tim iran denied sendintroops into 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. (khamenei speaking):

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

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

(erdbrink speaking): (explosion ban) ti

(men in video shou) >> erdbrink: you won't hear mojtaba talking about expanding iranian influence into the hegion. according to himas only there to protect the holy shia shris. and of course to clean up isis. (mojtaba speaking): (erdbrink speaking):

(mtaba's wife and mojtaba speaking): (gunfire rattling)

(mojtaba's wife spking): (erdbrink spking): (mojtaba's wife speaking):

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

>> erdbrink: i don't know what to think of mojtaba. it seems as if he can't wait to become a martyr himself. s follow him on instagram. one of his postsvideo of aun young wod man, chosen by god to die as a martyr with a smile on his face. then a last message: mojtaba h le family again to fight one more holy battle. (train rumbling) i take the train back to

isfahan and find a seat in an empty compartment. for a few hours, i enjoy the sight of the impressive mountains. as the tin descends into the desert, i notice some excitement amongst the fellow passengers. m it seems aacle has happened. according to them, the wateras come back to the river of life in isfahan. (iranian pop song playing) we for a while, thing back to normal. nobody seem to wonder how this could happen or if the water would stay. (pop song continues)

(pop song stops) three weeks later, the water w gone again. ♪ (glass clinking) (erdbrink speaking, recorded): (glass clinking) : (man speakin up (man speaks, gepeats): ak

(mirza and group sg): (samin speaking): >> erdbrink: in the islamic republic, alcohol was banned from the beginning. if you drank, you were flogged. that was the traditional oulution to the problem.

it didn't work, ofe. the real solution came from overseas-- an american concept dating back 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): (erdbrink and man 2 speaking): 3 (mpeaking): (erdbrink speaking): (laughing) (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. sshe sent me a message th 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 offp your beauty inlic. all you're allowed to show is yourace. maybe that's the reason why elnaz golrokh is so famous in iran.ma she's up artist with more than 1.3 million followers on instagram. ol kh speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (golrokh speaking):

(erdbrink and golrokh speaking): (erdbrink and golrokh speaking): (erdbrink speaking): (golrokh speaking):

(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 tak to extremes. there, you would never see men and women hugging or kissing. because therare so few foreigners in iran, i was once asked to act in a movie.i ayed the part of a man who is released from prison after a four-month sentence and finally gets to see his loved one again. and all that yearning, 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 result. hi.

>> erdbrink: well, no oscar for th. the ad role was played by mahnaz afshar. (man speaking): >> erdbrink: she's the biggest star in iranian cinema. and burning love stories are her specialty. >> erdbrink: it's tricky, because the whole film is abt love. mahnaz is the queen of looks. she can tell you with one look that she loves you. and not only her co-star, bute tire audience. that's why mahnaz is in suchan high d (afshar speaking under music) >> erdbrink: to me, it seems as if they're making do. but in iran, it's all we've gott almost as if the thick glass partition that is there to

safeguard the physical distance betweemen and women on the set continues out there in the real world. iran is a country with a lot of, ruhich means that a lot of fun things are actually banned here under islamic law. but that of course doesn't mean thatun things don't happen i iran. listen here for instance. something is happening here. of course, i know what happening here; my friend sooni is giving a zumba ass. inside, women are dancing, they're wearing sports clothes. and these are all things that we are not allowed tfilm. not only foreign journalists are not allowed to film, no one is technically allowed to film those. this is another gray area: exercises 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? pretty cool. >> yes, it is.

>> erdbrk: with elastic? >> (laughs): yeah. s erdbrink: the question is, can i tell sooniry about starting a zumba business thout getting her into trouble? (dance music playing) look, these are american women doing zumba. but this is nothing mpared to the explosive energy that sooni brings into this exercise. but am i allowed to broadcast that? (erdbrink speaking): (sooni speaking, laughin: (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 show. we can't show this.il itlikely be considered offensive.n a d 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.ce (dusic playing)

i decide to ask ramin, my friend and colleague, to ca 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): (manpeaking on phone):

(man speaking on phone): (ramin speaking): so if you guarantee that this dance or sport dcing, is only seen by the female population. >> erdbrink: yeah, hello! we're already men. >> no, we are ju committing 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, ll-versed clergyman, he says that, "i'm not decision maker. you should call the censor man." but to avoid the risk and toin avoid puthis lady-- i mean, avoidingrouble for her-- so it's better to blur it.rd >>ink: but that means no one will be able to see it. >> but you can see the movement, or you can imagine, visualize, ntasize, whatever. imagination is a good place! (dance music playing) ly erdbrink: so the cleric doesn't know exact, either. ."his advice is, "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 about this. but this is an islamic republic. yoe personal freedom and sp are determined by the state, which explains its authority by voking the will of god. messing with that is a risky business, both for men and women. (erdbrink and sommayehng spea (erdbrink imitating fanfare)

>> erdbrink: wow.

♪ >> erdbrink: after 17 years of living in iran, i still ruggle with how the stat 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 at's the problem. because god can't be everywhere at the same time. for everyday matters, we must rely on his spokespersons on earth. in this case, that's supreme leader khanei.un anr 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 censor.

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

(erdbrink speaking): (dance music playing) >> erdbrink: finally, some clarity. this rule i undetand. western viewers can see this, but it will never be shown i iran. (dance music continues)

♪ the different explanations of the rules by the supreme leader's intermediaries are reason for protest from all sides. not only from the young, modern iranians, but even from conservatives, like my religious friend nieje.

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

(ahmadabadi speaking):

bi>> erdbrink: maybe miste 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. people seemed less afraid to express their opinions. and with the sanctions lifted, they hoped the country would finally open up to the rest of the in short, life could only becomt be. still, not everybody shared that optimistic vision. (erdbrink and sommayeh speaking):

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

♪ >> ext time, in part two of "our man in tehran." (man speaking): >> it's three years later. >> in this country especially, if you live with fear, you're done. (women screaming): >> as change comes to the country... >> cash is gonna buy it. i love iran! ki ...the hardliners push back. (erdbrink and man ng): ♪ re>> while some iranians d of america... (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. >> why are you...? (machine gun firing)

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rick steves: hi. i'm rick steves. in this "travel asca poliact" special, i'll share experiences and lessons gleaned from a lifetime of traveling, adventuring from irad to denmarkorocco to el salvador. and i'll explain howel tran humanize our world and give us a better t understanding challenges that come with globalization. my goal--to inspire you to avel out of your comfort zone, gain an empathy with the other h96% of humanity, and brie what i consider the greatest of all souvenirs--a broad perspective. thanks for joining us. n,man: ladies and gentleme rick steves! [cheering] rick: thank you.