Stuck in a tiny room deep inside Iran’s notorious Evin prison, Morad Tahbaz escaped the harsh reality of solitary confinement by creating art out of the grooves that lined the cement walls that imprisoned him.
“I would look for animal shapes within these lines and I would count them,” Mr Tahbaz said.
The Iranian, American and UK citizen spent nearly six years in Evin after he was arrested in January 2018 on charges of espionage. Mr Tahbaz, who lived in the US state of Connecticut was visiting Iran as part of his work with the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, an organisation he established to help protect Iran’s endangered animals and ecosystems.
Early in his detention, Mr Tahbaz married his lifelong love of animals with a burgeoning interest in art. At first it was a way to pass time, but it quickly became something much more profound.
“You just have to manage yourself and how you do it, and how you find interests and hobbies, whatever you can do to keep your sanity,” Mr Tahbaz told The National. “I started drawing, then I started trying to understand Persian carpet weaving, which I always had an interest in, and I didn't know anything about it.”
Mr Tahbaz designed 40 carpets while in prison. He smuggled the designs out to his wife who then found a carpet weaver able to bring the prints to life. On top of the carpets, he taught himself how to do woodworking and engraving and constantly challenged himself to produce more and more works.
“I kept myself very busy. I really didn't have too much spare time, and for me, that was critical, because my thoughts were, 'OK, I've got to finish this piece, or I've got to finish that drawing, and what do I want to do next?' So I always had a programme for myself, as opposed to thinking, 'when am I going to get out of here?'.”
Much of his work focused on animals, in particular the Persian lion, which went extinct in Iran in 1963, a symbol of power and strength in Iranian culture. His detailed sketches, done in fine pencil, bring to life Iran’s once-rich wildlife. There are cheetahs and leopards, owls and elk, each one carefully signed and dated defiantly from Evin.
Art helped keep his mind busy and his thoughts away from the memories of his most recent interrogation or what his captors had in store for him next. In an exclusive interview with The National, his first with the international press since being released in September 2023, Mr Tahbaz outlined the years of torture he experienced at the hands of the Iranian regime.
It included frequent interrogations, which often became physical, horrendous medical care and the constant threat that his situation could somehow get worse. A cancer survivor before being arrested, prison doctors at one point told him his cancer had returned and put him through multiple rounds of chemotherapy, all the while trying to force a confession out of him.
“I'm lying in a bed, I’ve got a serum in my arm and I have an interrogator come up to me and say: ‘You know what, why don’t you sign, I'll write this thing out, your confession, I'll write it out for you. You just sign it, and then we'll get you out of here and away'.”
There was a point, during which Mr Tahbaz was in desperate need of a new catheter – a side effect of the prostate cancer he had survived years earlier – when he was close to giving up. Unable to pass water, he was convinced he would die in prison.
“That was very, very trying,” he explained. “Because there were times that I got to a point that I said: ‘I'm not going to make it. But you know what, I’ve had a good life, I've seen much of the world. I've had a great family, and it is what it is’, and I could see the kind of writing on the wall that I'm not going to get out of here in one piece.”
But he did, thanks to the persistent efforts of the administration of US President Joe Biden, who had made returning US citizens wrongfully detained abroad a priority of his single term in office. Mr Tahbaz had been sentenced to 10 years in prison but was released in a complex prisoner exchange in which the US allowed a South Korean bank to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian assets that can be used solely for humanitarian purposes.
The administration took heat from Republican lawmakers for allowing Iran to access the funds.
“I remain deeply concerned that the administration’s decision to waive sanctions to facilitate the transfer of $6 billion in funds for Iran, the world’s top state sponsor of terrorism, creates a direct incentive for America’s adversaries to conduct future hostage-taking,” Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement at the time.
But for Mr Tahbaz and the four other Americans released in the deal, including Emad Shargi and Siamak Namazi, it was the right thing to do. “It is easy to criticise, especially when you're not in the shoes of the families or the people being held hostage, tortured, when their life's in danger, you're disconnected so you can criticise, especially if you're from an opposing political party. It's very easy to do,” Mr Tahbaz said.
“The truth of it is, it's a little more complex … My belief is that whenever there are opportunities to free Americans that have been detained illegally, unlawfully, for nothing other than bargaining, and if you can find the opportunity to scrabble together a deal that doesn't cost the American taxpayer anything, it should be done.”
Mr Tahbaz believes he was taken because the Iranian regime wanted leverage ahead of then-president Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran nuclear deal. Despite that, he doesn’t solely blame Mr Trump for his arrest in early 2018.
“It's hard to blame an individual,” he said. “But I think trying to cater to one constituency versus another for their own political gain generally carries a huge cost, and I think they were kind of blind to what that cost would be.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 4 liquid-cooled permanent magnet synchronous electric motors placed at each wheel
Battery: Rimac 120kWh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power: 1877bhp
Torque: 2300Nm
Price: Dh7,500,00
On sale: Now
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
1.
|
United States
|
2.
|
China
|
3.
|
UAE
|
4.
|
Japan
|
5
|
Norway
|
6.
|
Canada
|
7.
|
Singapore
|
8.
|
Australia
|
9.
|
Saudi Arabia
|
10.
|
South Korea
|
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
DUBAI%20BLING%3A%20EPISODE%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENetflix%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKris%20Fade%2C%20Ebraheem%20Al%20Samadi%2C%20Zeina%20Khoury%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Khalid%20Fahad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Shaima%20Al%20Tayeb%2C%20Wafa%20Muhamad%2C%20Hamss%20Bandar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
SERIES SCHEDULE
First Test, Galle International Stadium
July 26-30
Second Test, Sinhalese Sports Club Ground
August 3-7
Third Test, Pallekele International Stadium
August 12-16
First ODI, Rangiri Dambulla Stadium
August 20
Second ODI, Pallekele International Stadium
August 24
Third ODI, Pallekele International Stadium
August 27
Fourth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
August 31
Fifth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
September 3
T20, R Premadasa Stadium
September 6
Biog:
Age: 34
Favourite superhero: Batman
Favourite sport: anything extreme
Favourite person: Muhammad Ali
RESULTS
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1.600m
Winner: Miller’s House, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Kanood, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Gervais, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Important Mission, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.50pm: The Entisar Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Firnas, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
9.25pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Zhou Storm, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Tour de France 2017: Stage 5
Vittel - La Planche de Belles Filles, 160.5km
It is a shorter stage, but one that will lead to a brutal uphill finish. This is the third visit in six editions since it was introduced to the race in 2012. Reigning champion Chris Froome won that race.
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates