Iranian Student Reflects on Growing Conflict
As the conflict in Iran continues to grow, the news is more than just another headline for one University of South Dakota student.
Shirin Jafarizadeh, a Master of Fine Arts student in photography, came to the university from Tehran to pursue her work without the restrictions she experienced in her home country. Jafarizadeh said that while studying cinema as an undergraduate in Iran, creative expression often came with limits.
“At the end of my undergrad, I was sure that I wouldn’t be able to really pursue art in my own country because of the oppression and censorship,” Jafarizadeh said. “The oppression that I’m talking about It’s really brutal. They would arrest you, torture you and kill you.”
Jafarizadeh said she grew up surrounded by political tension and frequently saw protests in the streets of Tehran.
“When I was in Iran, it was really scary for me to walk in the street because of all the oppression on women, on minority groups, on everyone,” Jafarizadeh said.
On Feb. 28, the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, with the goal to dismantle the country’s nuclear program and leadership.The attacks resulted in the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was named the country’s new leader on Sunday.
“It’s like I’m happy about the war because I think that might be the only hope to get rid of this murderous, brutal regime,” Jafarizadeh said. “At the same time, it’s my country also, you know. It’s my people and it’s war, and war, it’s never clean.”
Communication with her family back home has been difficult. Most of her conversations are short phone calls lasting only a few minutes. Like many people in the U.S., much of the information she receives about what is happening in Iran comes through the media.
“From what I’ve experienced, in the country and in the region, it’s very different from how the media usually approaches the Middle East or any conflict in the Middle East,” Jafarizadeh said. “It always feels black and white, but it’s really not black and white. There’s not a good side or bad side.”
The current Iranian regime, or the Islamic Republic of Iran, started in 1979, following the Iranian Revolution between 1978-1979. Since the start of the regime, the U.S. has had a long-standing rivalry with the country.
In January of this year, one of the largest protests against the regime took place. The Iranian government acknowledged more than 3,000 deaths related to the protests, though other estimates place the number of protesters killed between 30,000 and 40,000.
“I would say for the majority of Iranians, they are hopeful about it,” Jafarizadeh said. “They’re hoping that something good will come out of this war.”
Jafarizadeh’s pursuit of creative freedom has already seen success. She won Best of Show at the 2026 Stillwell Awards and is currently working on projects that combine photography and film.
“I’ve been really lucky with my community and our department for me and my peers. My professors have shown me a lot of support and a lot of empathy,” Jafarizadeh said. “That makes me feel included, makes me feel supported and not alone in this really hard mental burden.”
