[K-Women Talk] The Legacy of Persia and Iran's Tomorrow

"Cyrus Cylinder," the First Declaration of Human Rights
Religious Freedom Granted to Jewish Prisoners

No war is ever a just war. The true horror of the war in Iran, which is shaking the world today, does not lie in soaring oil prices or the might of missiles. It is found in the suffering and despair of ordinary Iranian citizens—those who lose their children in bombings, who live each day in fear of bombs that may fall again amid flames and smoke. Even more frightening is the possibility that the fragile seeds of change, which were just beginning to grow inside Iran, may freeze over completely. Where is Iran's future headed?

The sudden news of war brings to mind the face of a young Iranian woman I met just a few weeks ago at the closing ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. It was Soraya Hajiagha, a former badminton player and the first female IOC member from Iran. When those around her asked how the tensions between Iran and the United States might unfold, she answered cautiously: "I am returning to Tehran tomorrow. I will continue to serve as a bridge of communication with the international community. We, the Iranian people, want change. And we hope that change will come peacefully." Her election to the IOC was not merely a sports headline. It was a small sign of a current that the international community had long, quietly encouraged—a signal pointing to change within Iranian society itself.

At first glance, the participation of a female athlete in global sports governance from a nation tightly closed under Shia Islamic rule might seem like nothing more than a sports story. But behind that was likely the consent of the Iranian government, signaling that the doors of society were gradually opening. This is why the news of war is even more heartbreaking. War has the power to rapidly constrict the space for internal change. As external threats grow, society closes in on itself, and the language of reform is pushed behind the language of national security and survival. Anti-government protests disappear, and resistance to hardliners is swiftly labeled as treason.

Signs of this are already appearing. After the removal of Khamenei, what emerged was not a relaxation of the regime, but the hereditary succession of his son, known to be even more of a hardliner than his father. Such a succession, unimaginable without war, is now naturally justified in wartime. In this way, the winds of internal reform may vanish without a trace. As history has repeatedly shown, war is the most powerful mechanism to halt the march of reform.

Iran's 90 million people are highly educated and connected to the world through the internet. They imagine the possibility of a better life. The young female IOC member I met at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics symbolized such potential. In the grand sweep of international politics, her presence may appear small and insignificant. But when seeds sprout everywhere, they eventually form a forest. Change always begins from within. What the outside world can do is not to replace that change, but to at least leave enough space so that possibility does not disappear.

Iran cannot be explained solely by its current political system. It is the heir to Persia, which left deep roots in world civilization. Among Persia’s greatest legacies to humanity is the Cyrus Cylinder from the 6th century BC. King Cyrus the Great granted freedom and even paid for the return of the Babylonian Jewish captives, and he inscribed his philosophy of rule—which embraced religious freedom for all peoples and tolerance of diverse cultures—into this artifact. This record, called the "world’s first declaration of human rights," was a proclamation establishing tolerance and coexistence as the foundational principles of the empire.

"The order of tolerance and coexistence"—this is the Persian legacy that both Iran and the world should inherit together. I can only hope that the end of this war does not become a tragedy that even crushes the flow of change toward that legacy.

Former Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Park Eunha

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.