Iran Beyond the Headlines

For The Writers is seeking submissions for Iran Beyond the Headlines, a project dedicated to capturing the realities of Iran through the voices of those who know it best. We seek stories, essays, poetry, and visual work that reveal the everyday lives, struggles, and resilience of the Iranian people, beyond the narrow lens of Western media. Whether you live in Iran, are part of the global diaspora, or are connected through family, travel, or cultural ties, this call invites you to share perspectives that bring depth, humanity, and truth to a country too often reduced to politics and conflict.

Call for Submissions: Iran Beyond the Headlines

On June 21, 2025, President Trump ordered a major missile strike on Iran’s key nuclear facilities—Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan—without seeking congressional approval, effectively sidelining constitutional War Powers. The strikes, carried out in coordination with Israel and dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer, deployed B‑2 stealth bombers with 14 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bunker‑buster bombs and sub-launched Tomahawks. According to U.S. officials, the operation inflicted “monumental damage” that could set back Iran’s nuclear program for years.

However, the full extent of the destruction remains uncertain. Satellite imagery reveals collapsed tunnels and structural damage, yet the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reports have not been granted access to verify underground impact. Iran maintains that enriched uranium was moved prior to the strike and that radiation levels remain stable.

The U.S. action marks a significant escalation—Washington has directly entered what began as an Israel-Iran conflict, prompting Iranian missile strikes on a U.S. base in Qatar and elevated tensions across the Middle East.

Iran has vowed to close the Strait of Hormuz and pursue “everlasting consequences” for the U.S., while world powers ranging from China and Russia to the U.N. are urging immediate de-escalation and renewed diplomacy.

Domestically, opposition was swift and bipartisan. Senator Bernie Sanders, Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Thomas Massie, and Ro Khanna labeled the strikes unconstitutional and potential war crimes. Yet, some Republicans defended the strike as a strategic success.

We invite writers—journalists, historians, analysts, and policy experts—to submit essays, features, or investigative pieces that go beyond headlines. We’re seeking in-depth analysis on issues such as:

• Constitutional and international law implications of initiating war without Congressional approval

  
  

• Long-term repercussions for nuclear non-proliferation

  
  

• Geopolitical flashpoints in the Middle East and Gulf region

  
  

• Civilian, environmental, and infrastructural consequences

  
  

• Diplomatic pathways to de-escalation

---

We Need Your Voice

Whether you live in Iran, are part of the diaspora, or are connected through family, travel, or study, your perspective matters. We are calling on Iranian civilians, refugees, students, artists, journalists, and dissenters to respond to this moment, not as passive observers but as those shaping the record of history.

Even if the June 21 strikes did not reach you directly, your voice carries weight. A parent separated from family, a student abroad watching events unfold, a friend or relative witnessing from afar—all of these vantage points matter. Silence has never shielded communities from harm. Speaking out can.

We welcome submissions in every form:

• First-person accounts of surviving Trump’s June 21 bombings and their aftermath in Iran.

  
  

• Memoirs, essays, and dispatches tracing how U.S. militarism disrupts daily life, fractures families, and reshapes futures.

  
  

• Reflections on identity, exile, and dislocation, written in the context of U.S. aggression, Muslim bans, or generational trauma.

  
  

• Creative nonfiction, poetry, photo essays, and multimedia that reveal the richness, resilience, and contradictions of Iranian life beyond Western headlines.

  
  

• Media critiques that confront how global coverage erases nuance, sidelines Iranian voices, or frames war as spectacle.

This is not only a political crisis. It is a human crisis. The stories we publish will complicate, expand, and correct the narrative now taking shape.

---

Documenting History Matters

Let’s be clear: on June 21, 2025, President Trump launched missiles at Iran without Congressional approval, bypassing the War Powers Resolution and challenging constitutional norms.

The strike—which involved over 125 aircraft and 75 precision-guided weapons, including bunker-buster bombs—targeted Fordow, Natanz, and Iranian hospitals, schools, and power infrastructures, which were directly affected, and Iranian authorities report at least 657 deaths and 2,037 injuries from earlier Israeli airstrikes and related escalations.

Domestically, bipartisan outrage erupted. Representatives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the strike "grounds for impeachment," while House and Senate resolutions—including those from Thomas Massie, Bernie Sanders, and Tim Kaine—are now being pushed to reaffirm Congressional authority to declare war.

This is real violence on real streets disrupting daily life: electricity, clean water, education, and healthcare are all suffering. That’s why your voices matter, even if you are only an observer: this is a historic moment that demands documentation, analysis, and bearing witness.

The scale and the framing in Western media risk reducing human lives to military targets, sanitized by political rhetoric. Your testimony is the antidote.

Peaked your interest? Learn more: Call for Submissions: Illegal Deportation Shatters Lives.

---

Submission Guidelines

We welcome submissions across all open categories. Please follow the guidelines below to ensure your work is properly considered:

• File Uploads: You may include up to five files with your submission. Accepted formats include Word documents, PDFs, audio recordings, photographs, and video files that support or accompany your written narrative.

  
  

• Cover Letter: A cover letter is required for all submissions. This should provide a brief introduction, explain the context of your piece, and note whether anonymity is requested.

  
  

• Document Format: Written submissions must be formatted as a Word Document or PDF, using 12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, and clearly titled.

  
  

• Deadline: Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis, unless otherwise stated in your specific call.

  
  

• Anonymity and Privacy: If you request anonymity, we will remove all identifying details and handle your submission with the utmost confidentiality. Your safety and privacy are top priorities for this project. We adhere to strict ethical editorial standards to protect the interests of every contributor.

  
  

Please carefully review the specific submission requirements for the call you’re responding to before submitting. We look forward to hearing your story and honoring it with the care it deserves.

Submit

Typos? Not on our watch. This article has been fact-checked and finessed by our eagle-eyed editors. Have more to contribute or see something worth calling out? Let us know.