PARIS — Communications between Iranians living abroad and people in Iran are largely severed due to a government crackdown following nationwide protests and ongoing regional conflict. Members of the Iranian diaspora in Paris report being unable to reach relatives in Iran ahead of Nowruz 2026.

Iran erupted in nationwide protests at the end of 2025, followed by a bloody crackdown. Israel and the United States are attacking Iran's leaders and military, while the Islamic Republic of Iran is firing missiles and drones at Israel and Gulf Arab states.

Shayan Ghadimi, a restaurant owner in Paris, has managed to speak with her mother only twice since January. Her mother returned to Iran from Paris at the end of 2025 to see the protests. Ghadimi's mother had a return ticket and had promised to be back for Nowruz. "We could see the market closed, the people in the street. She said, 'I want to be there,'" Ghadimi said.

About a week before Nowruz, Ghadimi's mother told her that her plans to return for Nowruz had changed. "Now, she is all alone at home, with no way to stay in contact, watching the sky. I cannot imagine the state she is in." Ghadimi said. "I don't try anymore because it stresses me out if I try calling and can't get hold of her."

Ghadimi said her sister also faces communication difficulties. "My sister calls 100 times a day and can't reach her," Ghadimi said.

Shakiba Edighoffer, a makeup artist, reported similar communication difficulties. "I had a friend who managed to connect very briefly on Instagram a few days ago, but I think it's been about 20 days now since the war started, and that was really the only time I was able to speak with him a little." she said.

Despite the circumstances, diaspora members plan to celebrate Nowruz, which is Farsi for "new day" and coincides with the spring equinox. Nowruz is celebrated from Afghanistan to Turkey and is rooted in Zoroastrian tradition dating back millennia. Hard-liners in Iran have occasionally discouraged the celebration of Nowruz.

"Celebrating Nowruz with family and friends helps us cope, at least a little, with the psychological pressure." Edighoffer said. "All these oppressors want is for us to be sad, to forget our millennia-old Persian and Iranian traditions. We must not give them that victory."