Iran’s return offers leave questions over music’s public role
Two musicians have returned from exile as Iran’s culture minister says officials are seeking to ease travel for prominent Iranians abroad. Public performance remains uncertain.
Musicians Bijan Mortazavi and Mohsen Namjoo have recently returned to Iran after decades abroad, as the government says it is seeking to ease the return of prominent Iranians, including critics. Their returns do not establish whether they can perform publicly in the country.
Mortazavi returned in late September after 47 years abroad. Videos shared by him and his wife show them walking in Tehran, where passers-by greet the musician. Namjoo, who returned after about 20 years, said he wanted to spend more time with family and friends.
On 27 August, Culture Minister Abbas Salehi said his ministry had compiled a list of more than 100 prominent Iranians living abroad to help remove obstacles to travel or return. He said critics of the Islamic Republic could return, while stressing that an artist’s return would not necessarily include permission to perform. The initiative’s scope and implementation remain unclear.
The uncertainty reflects a long-running tension over music’s place in public life. Restrictions followed the 1979 revolution, while music was later used in revolutionary and religious songs during the Iran-Iraq War. Music persisted through domestic pop, performances and women’s singing, often taking on political meaning.
Ethnomusicologist Sepideh Raissadat says music at memorials for people killed during protests has become a form of resistance. Human rights organisations report that thousands were killed during protests in late December 2025 and January 2026, though the exact toll remains unknown amid an information blackout.
