Finally, the cat is out of the bag. With United States President Donald Trump first announcing a 20% surcharge for facilitating the passage of commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and now shifting the focus to investments in America (“Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States”), the “art of the deal” has been laid bare. The war with Iran was never about democracy, human rights, or non-proliferation; those are merely pretexts to control Iran’s vast energy reserves and the strategic choke points of global trade. But behind the sterile headlines of geopolitics lies a human reality. I wish to share something far more personal: my experience of stepping into Iran at one of the most extraordinary, painful moments in its modern history.

Late in the evening on July 1, I was deeply moved and, frankly, astonished, to receive an invitation, extended on behalf of the Rehbar, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, to attend the funeral ceremonies of his father, the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. The invitation came suddenly; everything — from the visa and booking the flights to arranging the state protocols — moved with breathless speed. My eldest daughter, Irtiqa, was gripped by fear when she heard the news. Aware of my outspoken stance on Gaza and concerned about the dangers of travelling to Iran, she only calmed down after extracting a promise from me that I would return as soon as the ceremonies were over. Within hours, I was aboard a Mahan Air flight bound for Tehran.

The real IranLanding in Tehran, I braced myself for an atmosphere thick with fear and wartime paralysis. Instead, I stepped into a scene of profound, composed calm. The officials who received us were........

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