Bankless Podcast Summary

Episode Title: Iran Unchained: How the Islamic Republic Holds Power and Why Protests Keep Returning
Guests: Sana Ibrahimi (Computer Science PhD Candidate; Iranian dissident), Ameen Soleimani (Entrepreneur; Iranian dissident)
Host: David
Date: January 27, 2026

Episode Overview

In this compelling special episode, Bankless ventures outside crypto to unpack the crisis in Iran under the Islamic Republic. Host David is joined by Iranian dissidents Sana Ibrahimi and Ameen Soleimani, who offer a rare inside account of how the regime holds power, inflicts oppression on its people—especially women—and why mass protests keep erupting regardless of the horrifying risks. They draw powerful parallels with the crypto movement’s core values: freedom, resistance to authoritarianism, and the right to exit oppressive systems.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Nature of Power in Iran

• Iranian Regime as Terrorist Theocracy

  • Sana starkly frames the regime not as a government, but a “terrorist mob armed to their teeth...not hesitant to use all of those arms and powers on their own civilians.” (00:00)
  • Both describe a system where the Supreme Leader and clerics wield unchecked authority under a veneer of democracy.
  • Ameen: “It’s become totalitarian. Like in the last two weeks we’ve gone from like China to North Korea.” (06:19)

• Not Iranian, Not a Republic

  • The regime’s goal is exporting Islamic jihad, not serving Iranians. Resources are siphoned to proxies (Hezbollah, Hamas), not the people.

• The Role of the Ayatollah

  • Sana: “Ayatollah is the ultimate, the highest level of a cleric where it has basically divine authority...God has appointed them.” (09:25)
  • Opposition to the Ayatollah is considered “waging war against God,” punishable by death.

2. The Islamic Republic’s False Promises, Propaganda, and Corruption

• Broken Promises of the 1979 Revolution (15:56–21:59)

  • Sana reads out original slogans: “Independence, Freedom, Islamic Republic” and notes that the regime delivered the opposite: subservience to other powers, loss of freedoms, deepening gender and social apartheid, economic ruin, extreme surveillance, and repression.

  • Notable Quote:
    “These were the promises…people were not supporting Islamic theocracy. No one dreamed of this in their worst nightmare.” – Sana (22:04)

• The Regime’s System of Control

  • Revolves around Islamic law—unenforceable through rational debate, enforced through brutal coercion.
  • Corruption permeates all life. Ameen: “IRGC operates as essentially a mafia.” (35:04)
  • Survival and advancement depend upon connections.

3. Suppression of Dissent and Historical Repression

• Purging of Allies and Dissenters

  • After the revolution, the regime turned on its Marxist allies and leftists, executing thousands—including high schoolers (24:30, 27:13, 32:36).

  • Purges via fabricated “loyalty” and religious tests, arbitrary detentions, and torture are common.

  • Memorable Account:
    Sana details her father’s torture: “He said...he was hanging from his wrist, from the ceiling, and they would flog him...he saw a room that…the ceiling and walls were covered in blood.” (33:03)

• Rewriting Education and History

  • Three-year “cultural revolution” to indoctrinate youth and filter out dissenting educators.
  • Textbooks are rewritten, universities purged.

4. Gender Apartheid and Structure of Daily Oppression

• Everyday Reality for Women

  • Deep legal and societal restrictions: enforced hijab, ban from certain jobs, right to travel or divorce contingent on male permission (40:01–43:54).

  • Ameen: “The whole Mahsa Amini movement happened as a result of...a normal Kurdish woman...beaten by the morality police for not wearing her hijab.” (41:09)

  • Memorable Details: Classroom and public space segregation, women searched before entering university, routine harassment and arrests over clothing.

  • Harrowing tale of “temporary marriages” before execution (state-sanctioned rape):
    “It’s apparently a crime in Islam to execute a virgin woman...so they would temporarily marry her to one of their officers and then have her raped...and then...execute her.” – Ameen (43:54–44:44)

  • Sana: “All women get is the dowry. No need for consent.” (45:10)

5. The Cycle of Protests: Why Iranians Keep Risking Everything

• Why Protest When Death is Assured? (50:06)

  • Sana: "Even if you don't go out, there’s no guarantee you’re not going to get killed...situations are so dire that people feel like they have nothing to lose."
  • Protests—16 major ones in 45 years—continue despite certain violence because “there is no other way out.”

• Internet Blackouts as a Repression Tool

  • Regime shuts down external and internal comms to hide massacres, hinder organizing, and control narrative (51:44–54:22).

  • Ameen: “If you’re about to massacre tens of thousands of people, you don’t want these videos getting uploaded.” (52:19)

  • Propaganda both within Iran (“We are burning Israel down!”) and abroad (regime apologists in Western media and academia) manipulates understanding.

6. International Misinformation, Propaganda & Western Perceptions

• Exported Propaganda

  • The regime funds apologists and disinformation campaigns. Notable organizations (e.g., NIAC) and Western academics repeat regime lines in American/European institutions (61:00–73:50).

• Why the Moral Clarity is Lost in the West

  • Activism around Palestine has muddied perceptions, leading some to side with the regime out of “suicidal empathy” and anti-Western sentiment (64:31–67:06).
  • Massive investment by Islamic and Russian/Chinese sources in Western institutions and coordinated bot campaigns amplify misinformation online (67:06–72:26).

7. The Case for Western (Especially US) Intervention

• Not the Same as Iraq/Afghanistan

  • Both guests argue Iran is different: it has ancient borders, a strong secular nationalist identity, a popular opposition leader (Reza Pahlavi), and an educated, reformist people (77:00–82:33).

  • Ameen: “If Iranians were able to secure their own future, then I think we would be essentially responsible guardians of the region and help represent Western interests.” (77:00)

• Failed Interventions vs. Needed Help

  • Point to successful interventions (Kuwait, South Korea) and remind listeners that “just let Iranians handle it” means wholesale slaughter by a regime willing to “kill millions.”

  • “We are not dealing with a normal government. We are dealing with a terrorist mob...They kill thousands, and if they have to, they will kill millions.” – Sana (74:29)

  • Sana: “This is not only affecting Iranian people...affecting your countries too...they have killed so many Americans over the years. They've killed Israelis, they have done terror attacks across Europe.”

• Hope for the Diaspora’s Return

  • 95.5% of Iran’s best and brightest are forced to leave; all dream of returning “when the Islamic Republic and its dark legacy be gone forever” (86:50–88:21)

8. The Present & Iranians’ Hopes for the Future

• What Iranians Want

  • “Are they going to help us? Are we going to receive help? We are unarmed. We cannot do anything. We need help.” – Sana (87:11)
  • Popular hope that US action (promised by President Trump) will help tip the balance.

• Potential for Peace Across the Region

  • Regime change would end mass Jihad exporting, decrease regional instability, and empower secular, progressive forces in neighboring states (90:54).
  • Would also reduce US/Western aid burdens (especially to Israel), weakening China and Russia.

• Vision of a Free Iran

  • Ameen: "A free Iran is going to be the most baller country ever…It would be the country that most recently paid the cost of its liberation and takes its freedoms to like completely seriously." (89:04–90:54)
  • Both dream of returning to Tehran for an “EthTehran 202X” conference.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You cannot demand things from terrorists. Terrorists kill you if you demand things and if you raise against them.” – Sana (74:29)

• “The IRGC operates as essentially a mafia…if they don't let us have 20% of your business...they destroy it in favor of their competition.” – Ameen (35:04)

• “Under the Shah, women in Iran actually had suffrage, I think even before, like women in Switzerland...the Islamic Republic went back on all of the progress that had been made towards women’s rights.” – Ameen (27:13)

• “It’s become totalitarian...in the last two weeks we’ve gone from like China to North Korea.” – Ameen (06:19)

• “When Iran is free, the Islamist narrative is going to get destroyed for a very long time and get very weakened. China is going to be affected. Russia is going to be affected. These are Americans’ competitors.” – Sana (90:54)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00 — The regime is not a normal government; scale of killings.
• 04:55 — What is the Iranian regime? Fanaticism, export of jihad.
• 09:25 — The Ayatollah’s "divine authority."
• 15:56–21:59 — Sana reads the false promises of the revolution.
• 24:30–27:13 — Purges and personal accounts of persecution.
• 33:03 — Torture and arbitrary imprisonment.
• 40:01–43:54 — Gendered apartheid explained.
• 43:54–45:10 — State-sanctioned rape before execution of women.
• 50:06 — Psychology: Why continue to protest?
• 51:44–54:22 — Blackouts, massacres, and information lockdowns.
• 61:00–73:50 — Regime propaganda in Western academia/media.
• 74:29 — The case against "let Iranians handle it themselves."
• 77:00–82:33 — Why Iran is not Iraq or Afghanistan.
• 86:50–88:21 — Diaspora’s hope for return and regime change.
• 89:04–90:54 — The vision for a free and liberated Iran and regional implications.

How Listeners Can Help

• Share accurate information from real Iranians.
• Amplify voices countering regime and apologist propaganda.
• Support Starlink/connectivity fundraising, lobbying for international support, and credible diaspora organizations (visit iranunchain.com for resources).
• Sana: "Raise your voice, no matter how small your platform is. Speak up, share the news, and make sure that you do not fall into the regime’s propaganda." (91:54)

Final Thoughts

The Iranian people’s struggle echoes the ideals of the crypto movement: self-sovereignty, resistance to tyranny, and hope for exit from oppressive systems.

“See you in free Iran soon.” — Sana Ibrahimi (94:11)