In a powerful message delivered from Iran, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi called on US President Donald Trump to pursue peace rather than join the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel. Broadcast by CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour, her message comes amid widespread censorship and severe internet restrictions in Iran.
In the pre-recorded video, Narges Mohammadi stated:
“Here, I ask of the President of the United States of America, Mr Trump to not only not join in this war, but I ask him to pursue a ceasefire, stop the war and realise peace in the Middle East. The outbreak of any war in the Middle East is not only to the detriment of the people of those countries and the Middle East, it is also certainly to the detriment of people in the West and to the people in the United States of America. We must strive towards peace not for the continual expansion of war in the Middle East.”
Narges Mohammadi recorded the message while in a secure shelter in Iran. CNN has announced that the full video will be broadcast tomorrow.
This is not the first time that Mohammadi has spoken out against the ongoing conflict. In another message, shared earlier with the Nobel Women’s Initiative, she condemned the ongoing war between Iran and Israel, stating: “War must not decide our future. I call for peace, for the people of Iran, the region, and the world.”
Following Mohammadi’s statement, the Nobel Women’s Initiative called for peace and voiced strong opposition to war, announcing:
“As women Nobel Peace Prize laureates, we stand for peace, justice, and nonviolence. We urge all parties—and the international community—to act now: stop the war and choose dialogue over destruction.
We echo the brave voices across the region saying: no to war.”
Amidst rising tensions across the Middle East, Mohammadi’s voice emerges as a powerful call for peace. She highlights the devastating human cost of war, affecting not only the region, but also people in the West and the United States. She urges world leaders to prioritise dialogue and diplomacy over further militarisation and to call for an immediate ceasefire.
Mohammadi (born 21 April 1972 in Zanjan, Iran) is an Iranian physicist, journalist and prominent human rights activist. She serves as vice-president and spokesperson of the Defenders of Human Rights Centre (DHRC), a non-governmental organisation founded in 2001 by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi.
Mohammadi has been arrested 13 times, tried in five separate cases, and sentenced to over 32 years in prison and 154 lashes. She has been convicted of charges including “acting against national security”, “spreading propaganda”, and “founding illegal groups” — most notably for her involvement in the Legam campaign to abolish the death penalty. Throughout her career, Mohammadi has led persistent campaigns against capital punishment, including death sentences issued against children, and has spoken out against compulsory hijab, solitary confinement and political repression. Currently on temporary release from Tehran’s Evin Prison on medical grounds, Mohammadi remains a central figure in Iran’s democracy and human rights movement, playing a leading role in the “Woman, Life, Freedom” (Jin, Jiyan, Azadi) movement.
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Iranian Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi urges end to war, condemns airstrikes
