Could Narges Mohammadi unite Iran’s opposition? Husband says imprisoned Nobel laureate still fighting

EXCLUSIVE: As Iran’s guidance struggles to find a unifying fig amid war, repression and near-total net blackouts, nan hubby of jailed Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Iranian quality authorities activistic Narges Mohammadi says his woman remains physically battered but politically unbroken, moreover arsenic she sits successful situation aft what he describes arsenic a sadistic apprehension and beating.

"Narges is simply a human rights activistic and an advocator for civilian society," her husband, Taghi Rahmani, told Fox News Digital successful an exclusive question and reply from Europe successful exile. "In mobilizing society, and successful organizing and shaping civilian institutions, she is an progressive and courageous woman."

At a infinitesimal erstwhile Iran’s ruling constitution is reeling from nan aftermath of U.S. and Israeli strikes, a vulnerable ceasefire, economical illness and intensified crackdowns, Mohammadi’s sanction is emerging successful a caller light: Not only arsenic a world awesome of resistance, but perchance arsenic 1 of nan fewer guidance figures whose legitimacy comes from suffering wrong nan strategy alternatively than exile, dynasty aliases factional politics.

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Mohammadi, awarded nan 2023 Nobel Peace Prize while imprisoned, has spent decades arsenic 1 of Iran’s astir salient women’s authorities and quality authorities activists. 

Trained arsenic an technologist and later a journalist, she served arsenic vice president of nan Defenders of Human Rights Center, founded by chap Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi and became internationally known for campaigning against compulsory hijab laws, solitary confinement, captive maltreatment and nan decease penalty.

Narges Mohammadi, Iranian quality authorities activistic and vice president of nan Defenders of Human Rights Center, poses for a image successful an undated photo. (Reuters)

Now, according to her husband, her information has worsened dramatically.

"Narges is presently detained successful Zanjan prison," he said. "She was arrested successful Mashhad during nan period of Dey (around January) and was severely beaten. During her arrest, she received galore blows, resulting successful terrible injuries to her chest, head, assemblage and lungs."

Rahmani said situation aesculapian authorities wished she should beryllium transferred for curen nether her ain physician’s supervision successful Iran, but that Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence is refusing nan transportation and insisting she stay successful Zanjan.

"Spiritually and mentally, Narges remains steadfast," he said. "She believes nan Islamic Republic is not desirable for nan Iranian people, and advocates for a strategy based connected freedom, quality authorities and unfastened relations pinch nan world. Physically, however, she has sustained terrible trauma and urgently requires aesculapian attention."

Rahmani said nan past clip he said pinch his woman was nan nighttime earlier she near for Mashhad, Iran, wherever she was later arrested.

The Nobel banquet astatine nan Grand Hotel successful Oslo connected Sunday, successful relationship pinch nan awarding of nan Nobel Peace Prize 2023. Peace Prize victor Narges Mohammadi is imprisoned successful Iran and is truthful represented by her children Ali and Kiana Rahmani and her spouse Taghi Rahmani, successful Oslo, Norway Dec. 10, 2023.  (NTB/Rodrigo Freitas via Reuters)

His relationship offers a uncommon wrong look into nan life of 1 of Iran’s astir internationally recognized dissidents astatine a infinitesimal erstwhile questions complete who could realistically lead opposition to nan authorities are intensifying.

"We perceive a awesome woody astir nan Iranian opposition, yet media successful nan free world often deficiency a precise meaning and a afloat knowing of what nan Iranian guidance really is," Iranian anti-regime activistic Maryam Shariatmadari told Fox News Digital.

Shariatmadari, 1 of nan astir recognizable faces of Iran’s "Girls of Revolution Street" movement, a activity of anti-regime protests that began successful 2017 erstwhile Iranian women publically removed their hijabs and stood successful defiance of nan country’s mandatory veiling laws, was sentenced to situation successful 2018 aft publically removing her hijab successful protest.

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Ali Rahmani, boy of imprisoned Iranian quality authorities activistic Narges Mohammadi, speaks aft receiving nan Nobel Peace Prize 2023 connected her behalf astatine Oslo City Hall successful Norway. (Fredrik Varfjell/NTB)

According to Shariatmadari, 1 campy consists of Iranians who position nan 1979 Islamic Revolution itself arsenic nan foundational nationalist disaster, believing Iran’s trajectory was derailed erstwhile nan Shah fell. The 2nd includes erstwhile revolutionaries, reformists, communist factions and groups specified arsenic nan Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), galore of whom emerged from aliases erstwhile supported nan revolutionary strategy earlier later opposing it. 

"The first group considers nan 1979 gyration a disaster and seeks a return to Iran’s erstwhile path," she said, while nan 2nd includes "those who participated successful nan gyration but later became guidance figures aft being excluded from power."

That distinction, she argues, helps explicate why Reza Pahlavi, nan exiled son of Iran’s past shah, remains uniquely recognizable among galore anti-regime Iranians contempt spending decades extracurricular nan country.

Lisa Daftari, overseas argumentation expert and editor-in-chief of The Foreign Desk news platform, told Fox News Digital, "Inside Iran, Pahlavi remains 1 of nan only guidance figures pinch wide sanction recognition, and his connection intelligibly resonated during nan January protests, which is why his sanction still carries weight for galore Iranians some wrong nan state and successful nan diaspora."

Pahlavi himself sharpened that connection Friday aft a bid of European appearances, accusing some European politicians and journalists of ignoring nan standard of Iranian suffering.

"I spent nan past respective weeks walking crossed Europe, speaking to members of parliaments, governments, and nan press," Pahlavi said successful a video connection connected his charismatic X account. "My sojourn had 1 objective: to springiness a sound to nan millions of Iranians held hostage by nan Islamic Republic ... But I tin now opportunity pinch assurance that silencing, that censorship is not conscionable happening astatine nan hands of nan authorities successful Iran, but by nan world and peculiarly nan European media."

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Iran's Reza Pahlavi, exiled boy of Shah Reza Pahlavi, is protected by information aft he was attacked pinch a reddish fluid, pursuing a news convention successful Berlin, Germany, April 23, 2026. (Markus Schreiber/The Associated Press )

He went connected to condemn what he described arsenic European indifference to nan wide sidesplitting of protesters and governmental executions, saying that crossed 2 property conferences successful Stockholm and Berlin attended by much than 150 journalists, "not a azygous one" asked astir nan tens of thousands he says were killed during January’s crackdown aliases nan governmental prisoners facing execution.

"Whether aliases not Europe stands pinch america ... I will conflict for my group and my country," Pahlavi said. "We will conflict until Iran is free."

Still, moreover immoderate supporters admit why nan management has hesitated to openly clasp him arsenic a transitional figure.

Daftari warned that overt Western backing could backfire by making him look externally imposed alternatively than domestically legitimized.

"The Trump administration’s determination not to much openly clasp him arsenic a transitional fig apt reflects respective factors: a heavy wariness of making authorities alteration nan definitive extremity end aliases appearing to technologist it aft Iraq and Afghanistan, interest that overt U.S. backing could put an moreover bigger target connected his backmost and a strategy that is presently focused little connected anointing a successor and much connected degrading nan regime’s capacity to frighten its ain people, nan region and nan United States," she said.

If Pahlavi represents dynastic representation and explicit regime-change politics, Mohammadi represents thing profoundly different.

AS AIRSTRIKES RAIN DOWN ON THE IRANIAN REGIME, CAN A FRACTURED OPPOSITION UNITE TO LEAD IF IT FALLS?

Reza Pahlavi, boy of Iran's erstwhile Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, speaks during a property convention successful Paris June 23, 2025. (Thomas Padilla/AP)

Mohammadi’s spot wrong that scenery is chopped owed to her unsocial benignant of legitimacy astatine a clip erstwhile galore Iranians are searching not only for guidance to nan regime, but for a fig who embodies endurance nether it.

For now, however, Rahmani warns that Iran’s home conditions whitethorn make immoderate mass uprising extraordinarily difficult. 

"As you know, warfare serves arsenic an excuse to suppress home forces wrong a country," he said. "This warfare has now accrued nan strength of nan regime’s actions against nan opposition."

He based on that contempt soul divisions, nan Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has efficaciously consolidated power, militarized nan streets and severely weakened civilian society.

"The Islamic Republic has practically taken power of nan streets during wartime and has severely weakened Iran’s civilian society, which is nan guarantor of democracy. In our opinion, this war, nether these conditions, is not to nan use of Iran, nor to nan use of nan Iranian people."

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A image of Nobel Peace Prize victor Narges Mohammadi connected nan wall of nan Grand Hotel successful cardinal Oslo earlier nan Nobel banquet, successful relationship pinch nan awarding of nan Nobel Peace Prize 2023, successful Oslo, Norway, Dec. 10, 2023.  (NTB/Javad Parsa via Reuters)

That whitethorn beryllium nan defining situation for Iran’s guidance today: not simply uncovering a leader, but surviving agelong capable nether bonzer repression for 1 to emerge.

Whether Mohammadi tin go that fig remains uncertain. But from prison, her hubby says, she has not stopped believing Iran’s early tin beryllium different.

The Iranian ngo to nan United Nations did not respond to a petition for remark successful clip for publication.