Full Story The Sunday Read: My Grandfather escaped Iran. But I’m not celebrating Trump’s war
Mar 7, 2026
Rafqa Touma, an Australian‑Iranian journalist who narrates an anonymously authored family memoir, reads a first‑person account of her grandfather’s escape from Iran. She explores fears about civilian harm as foreign strikes escalate. Short reflections cover regime influence, resource shortages, Iranian hospitality and a plea to protect everyday lives.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Family Escape From Tehran In 1980
- My grandfather fled Tehran in 1980 after an anonymous tip that the Islamic Republic wanted him dead.
- He escaped with my grandmother and 15-year-old mother on a forged-passport flight to Heathrow, then spent three years in London before immigrating to Australia.
Regime Fall Isn't Permission For Foreign Bombing
- Celebrations at Ali Khamenei's death are understandable given his regime's record of executions, torture and repression.
- Yet Rafqa Touma warns that foreign bombing risks civilian lives and that civilians must not be killed by either their government or invading powers.
Calls To 'Rise Up' Ignore Realities Of War
- Western leaders framing bombing as support for Iranians to 'take back your government' ignores on-the-ground realities.
- Rafqa Touma compares Trump's message to George W. Bush's Iraq rhetoric, calling it propaganda that misunderstands civilian capacity under attack.