Masoud Shojaei Tabatabaei, an Iranian cartoonist and graphic designer, sent an op-ed to his Venezuelan friend in an effort to explain the reality and truth of Iran’s current situation, as well as the hostile policies of the United States and the Zionist regime against the Iranian people. In response, his friend writes that he added an “introduction and conclusion” to the Iranian artist’s op-ed and published it in Venezuela’s nationwide newspaper El Correo del Orinoco under the headline “Neither Wars Nor Threats Will Impose a Lie!”
The full text of the messages exchanged between these two Iranian and Venezuelan artists follows:
“My dear friend and brother Masoud,
I hope this message finds you steadfast and hopeful. I am writing to share important news with you: your powerful testimony (op-ed) from the heart of Iran has been published in full and without any censorship in our nationwide newspaper, El Correo del Orinoco.
Your message, with its plain and courageous truth, has now spread throughout Venezuela—exactly as you entrusted it to me. I made only very minor edits and added a brief introduction and conclusion to facilitate better understanding for local audiences, with complete assurance that your voice, your exposure, and your truth would remain entirely untouched.
Your call not to fall silent in the face of false narratives, your account of the everyday resistance of your people, and your firm defense of national sovereignty against foreign intervention have now become part of the public conversation in my country. In this way, with the utmost respect, I have fulfilled your request to act as a loudspeaker for the true voice of the Iranian people.
I am certain that it is actions like these that build bridges of solidarity and genuine understanding between our nations—precisely what you have always defended through your art and your work.
May this journalistic act, however little, contribute to the effort to amplify a voice that mainstream media seek to silence.
With a brotherly and steadfast embrace,
from the resistance of Venezuela to the resistance of Iran.
With respect and solidarity, Iván Lira
Neither wars nor threats will impose a lie!
Iván Lira – Masoud Shojaei Tabatabaei
I write with urgency to echo a message I have received from Iran, a message from Masoud Shojaei Tabatabaei, a great Iranian artist and cultural promoter and director of the Tehran Cartoon House. He is a key figure in employing comic art as a tool for cultural diplomacy and anti-imperialist resistance. Under his leadership, major artistic and cultural events with international impact have been held, including critical exhibitions on the genocide in Palestine and the role of the United States and Israel—making him an important actor in the struggle for the autonomy of the Global South’s narrative.
Here I share his message with you:
“Hello Iván, today I came to Mehr News Agency to use the agency’s internet to publish images related to the biennial, the judges, and the winners on my page. As you know, in my country, many problems have arisen due to the interventions of the United States and Israel. Trump and Netanyahu personally declared war against Iran. These bitter events, alongside bombings, sanctions, and psychological warfare, have affected the reality of our people’s lives.
In Iran, 47 years after the Islamic Revolution, those who left the country and migrated to the United States, in cooperation with Israel, have organized activities against Iran around the world and use symbols such as the Lion and Sun flag alongside the Israeli flag.
Despite all this, on January 12, 2026, millions of Iranians took to the streets to protest these pressures. But the global power of money, using fake news and severe media blockade, does not allow the real voice of our people to be heard. I am certain that they will also attempt to delete this message.
Some exiled artists, such as Saman Torabi, who lives in Canada, hold cultural and satirical events and exhibitions against Iran. These individuals are not inside Iran. I speak with those who have remained inside the country. Fortunately, the current situation is calm, and if Trump does not drag us into war, we will not face problems.
The biennials, competitions, and art halls organized by the Iran Cartoon House continue on their path, and activities are proceeding normally. Exhibitions are open to the public, awards will be presented at the appropriate time, and images and videos will be published as usual.
So please be our voice, the voice of real people inside Iran. Be careful not to be deceived by fake news—news that seeks to push the country toward chaos and war. Thank you for publishing this message.” — Masoud
At a time when bombs, sanctions, and psychological operations seek to break the will of nations, voices like that of Masoud Shojaei Tabatabaei remind us that the first bastion of dignity is truth and memory. This message, written from the heart of Iran under military threats, media warfare, and information sabotage, is not merely an exposure; it is a declaration of existence in the face of those who wish to erase an entire country from the political and symbolic map of the world.
When imperialism pretends to speak “in the name of the people,” one must immediately listen to the voices of those who have stayed, who create, who work, and who resist within their own borders. Satirical art, political cartooning, and cultural spaces in Tehran remain active despite the pressures; this itself is evidence that Iranian society is neither defeated nor isolated, but rather engaged in a full-scale struggle for the independence of its own narrative.
These voices must not be rendered invisible, and the loudspeaker must not be handed solely to certain exiles who legitimize the agenda of war and sanctions. From our Latin America—which itself has faced bombings, sanctions, media warfare, and threats of intervention—this testimony resonates as a restless mirror for hegemonic power and as a call for effective solidarity among the nations of the Global South.
Being the voice of real people inside Iran is not the repetition of slogans; it is the defense of every nation’s right to narrate its own history, express its own pain, decide its own future, and have no spokesperson appointed by its enemies.
I publish this message as a commitment—a commitment not to expose fabricated lies, to distrust any narrative that always portrays certain countries as “problems” and never as “victims” or “rights-holders.” Let the words that arrive from Tehran not be lost in the clamor of censorship, but circulate, be shared, and provoke debate; so that they may become yet another wall against the normalization of war and genocide. So that it is clear that in the face of drones, blockades, and campaigns of hatred, people still have the last word—and as long as artists, journalists, and citizens are willing to break the information blockade, lies will never be able to be imposed as destiny.
MNA/6733409
