Nazanin Boniadi Warns Global Silence Is Dangerous as Iran Faces Deadly Crackdown

Iranian-British actress and activist Nazanin Boniadi says she has barely slept in recent weeks, shaken by reports of mass killings as Iranian security forces turn on protesters across the country.

According to some media outlets and human rights groups, as many as 12,000 protesters may have been killed. Tens of thousands more are believed to have been arrested or injured during demonstrations in all 31 provinces of Iran. The true number is difficult to confirm due to strict controls on information inside the country, but many observers say this could be the deadliest crackdown in the Islamic Republic’s history.

Boniadi was born to Iranian parents who fled the country in 1979, just days after she was born. Over the years, she has built a career in Hollywood while also maintaining strong ties to Iranian civil society. She became widely known for her role as CIA analyst Fara Sherazi on Homeland, which helped reshape how Iranian Americans were portrayed on screen after 9/11.

Away from acting, Boniadi has spent two decades advocating for human rights, urging Western governments to confront what she describes as crimes against humanity carried out with impunity in Iran.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Boniadi spoke about the emotional toll of the current crisis and the danger of global inaction.

“I feel anxious. Most Iranians know someone who has been persecuted, killed or unjustly imprisoned,” she said. “We are a traumatized people. Iranians live in a system without dignity and dreams. The current protests are unprecedented.”

She said the lack of public support from many in Hollywood has been especially painful, given the industry’s long history of speaking out against discrimination and injustice.

Boniadi believes part of the silence comes from the Iranian government’s efforts to frame the protests as being orchestrated by the United States and Israel. That narrative, she said, has discouraged some from speaking out.

Quoting Palestinian author Rasha Halveh, Boniadi added: “A government that kills its own people, that oppresses its own women, cannot help liberate my people.”

She stressed that human rights should never be treated as a political issue. “Human rights, dignity and freedom should never become partisan,” she said, calling on Hollywood and the international community to show meaningful solidarity with the Iranian people.