Time Magazine’s Prediction About Iran from 7 Years Ago Came True
They say Time Magazine predicted these days for Iran 7 years ago, although the events occurred three years earlier. These days, the cover of one of its 2015 issues titled ‘How Iran 2025 Will Change the World in the Next Decade’ is being circulated. The headline and photo, which were quite controversial at the time, were referred to with disdain by conservative media as the Iran that the West prefers.
Some might have regarded the headline more as a journalistic stunt than based on a sociological and expert statistical analysis. Now it turns out it wasn’t just a journalistic headline.
A Girl on the Cover
The cover image features the Chitgar Lake in the background with modern buildings around it, and in the center, a teenage girl with an Eastern appearance dressed similarly to many from the 1990s or 2000s. She holds an iPhone and a balloon string in her hand, though the balloon is not visible, and her inquisitive gaze extends beyond the frame.
At that time, the cover image, which was by the famous Iranian press photographer Newsha Tavakolian, attracted so much attention that the accompanying report and headline received less focus.
Besides that cover image, 20 other photos by Newsha were published inside the magazine, which is why most of the analyses and reactions, especially from conservative media, were directed towards Newsha and her Dutch journalist husband. The conservative site Jahan News wrote that the mentioned photographer had collaborated with some chain publications and had also published some images without a headscarf.
The newspaper Shargh praised Time Magazine’s work and its collaborating photographer by interviewing Majid Saeedi, another photographer arrested during the 2009 unrest, who fled the country after his release. Both photographers were honored at some foreign festivals due to their collaboration with dissidents.
Predicting a Non-Idealistic Iran
The photo and report headline from Time Magazine were published right when the nuclear deal had been reached, and it seemed that a new chapter would begin not only in Iran’s foreign policy or governance but also in the lives of the Iranian people. Optimism for change and transformation was reflected both inside and outside Iran.
For this reason, more impartial analyses believed that Time, by choosing those photos and the report, tried to present a gray image of Iran instead of a black one, showcasing examples of modernism alongside the preservation of some traditions, and the juxtaposition of different mental and clothing spaces of various generations in Iran.
The Time Magazine writer also pointed out that the atmosphere in Iran is contrary to what many Westerners think, and we are facing a semi-modern society where part of the early years of the revolution is evident alongside the fresh perspectives of the new generation. For this reason, they referred to the overall image of today’s Iran and its future outlook as Iran 2025.
Time posed the question of whether Iran will undergo fundamental changes in the next decade, writing that although these changes had started before the agreement, they are now happening rapidly. Iran will be very different in ten years, and by 2025, Iranians are likely to no longer be idealistic.
Conservatives’ Displeasure with the Photo and Headline
The site Mashregh wrote about the cover photo at the time, stating that the cover photo represents America’s dream and America’s desire from the lifestyle of young Iranians. The girl, who is still a teenager, is more made-up than an American young girl. She stares into the distant horizons as if watching her kite soar. The kite of the girl’s dreams is not in the frame; we only see the kite string in her hand. The scarf on her head bears no resemblance to a hijab; it’s one of those headscarves that, if absent, would reduce the girl’s apparent attractiveness.
Conservative media even attacked the newspaper Shargh, which extensively covered that issue of Time Magazine, stating that Time, with this photo and its analyses, tried to suggest that Iran is moving towards Westernization in the post-nuclear deal era and during its ten-year implementation. They quoted Shargh as saying that Time tried to convey that Iran is shedding its skin, attempting to show that during the era of anti-Western slogans, young people have gone in a different direction.
The Absence of Reality in Conservative Analyses
In one of the analyses published by conservative media about the photo and headline, it was stated that the real issue is that Time Magazine predicts that Iran will undergo fundamental changes within this decade.
Evidence and indications show that Westerners are trying to bring about widespread cultural, social, and political changes in the Islamic Revolution of Iran and consequently in the countries and nations influenced by it, over the ten years during which the nuclear deal is implemented.
The analysis continued by stating that the pillars of these changes will be based on lifestyle changes, media influence, dependency, fear, and materialism. They are anticipating an Iran that, by moving away from revolutionary zeal and resistance against arrogance, will bring security, tranquility, and power to America, Israel, and the West, and discourage and dissuade oppressed and vulnerable nations and countries worldwide from any form of resistance against global arrogance.
Aside from this fundamental weakness in the conservative perspective, which fails to notice the gradual and inherent changes in Iranian society and attributes every desire and transformation to deliberate external factors, it must be said that this analysis is more based on fear due to a lack of understanding of society. This lack of understanding continues even after recent protests, and its clear signs can be seen in their speeches and analyses.
Time Magazine is a famous American weekly with a 92-year history, which always selects a person as the Person of the Year at the end of the calendar year. So far, Iranian figures like Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh and Imam Khomeini have been chosen as the face of the year in this magazine.