Iranian-American Women Elected to U.S. Office Challenge U.S.-Israel War Narratives on Women’s Rights

The 'Woman, Life, Freedom' movement draws on indigenous feminist traditions in Iran, where women’s resistance has long been tied to broader struggles for sovereignty and social justice. Iranian feminist thought, from the Constitutional Revolution (1906–1911) to the Green Movement (2009), has framed women’s rights as part of a decolonial project, not a Western import. This indigenous feminist lens contrasts with the U.S. and Israeli co-optation of 'women’s rights' to justify war, which erases the movement’s anti-imperialist roots.

The U.S. has a long history of using women’s rights as a pretext for intervention, from the 1953 coup in Iran to the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan. The 'Woman, Life, Freedom' movement’s roots in Iran’s 1979 revolution and subsequent feminist struggles are often erased in Western coverage, which frames the movement as a recent phenomenon. Similarly, the 1979 hostage crisis and subsequent U.S. sanctions created generational trauma in Iranian-American communities, shaping their political engagement today.

In Algeria, the 1954–1962 war of independence was framed by France as a 'civilizing mission' to 'liberate Muslim women,' a rhetoric that mirrored later U.S. justifications for wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Palestinian feminist groups like Women Against Violence and the Women’s Affairs Center have long critiqued how Western feminists often prioritize 'saving' Muslim women over supporting their self-determination. In India, feminist movements have similarly been co-opted by Hindu nationalist narratives to justify anti-Muslim policies, showing how 'women’s rights' can serve as a tool of majoritarianism.

Research on feminist foreign policy (e.g., Aggestam & True, 2020) shows how states instrumentalize gender equality to legitimize militarism, a phenomenon called 'genderwashing.' Studies on diaspora political behavior (e.g., Jamal, 2018) reveal that Iranian-Americans often engage in transnational activism that challenges both U.S. imperialism and the Islamic Republic’s oppression. The 'Woman, Life, Freedom' movement’s decentralized, leaderless structure aligns with modern social movement theory (e.g., Tilly, 2004) on how movements sustain themselves without hierarchical leadership.

Iranian art and poetry, from Forough Farrokhzad to Shirin Neshat, have long used the female body as a site of resistance against both state and imperial violence. The 'Woman, Life, Freedom' movement’s slogan echoes Sufi and poetic traditions, where 'life' (zendegi) symbolizes both bodily autonomy and collective liberation. Iranian-American artists like Gelareh Kiazand and Nazanin Vasegh have critiqued how Western media reduces Iranian women to either victims or heroes, ignoring the spiritual and artistic dimensions of their struggle.

A feminist foreign policy that centers Iranian and Iranian-American women’s self-determination would require dismantling the U.S.-Israel military alliance and lifting sanctions, which disproportionately harm women and children. Scenario planning suggests that continued militarization will fuel cycles of violence, while grassroots feminist diplomacy (e.g., Track II initiatives) could build alternative pathways. The rise of Iranian-American women in U.S. politics may shift narratives, but only if they reject co-optation and center transnational solidarity.

Iranian feminists who reject both U.S. intervention and the Islamic Republic’s oppression are rarely centered in Western coverage, despite their pivotal role in the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' movement. Iranian-American women elected to office often face backlash from both Iranian hardliners and U.S. hawks, leaving them in a precarious position. Marginalized voices also include queer Iranian feminists, who are erased in both Western 'liberation' narratives and Islamic Republic propaganda.