Former Iran Detainee Issues Clear Warning To Americans Against Traveling To Iran

On Thursday, Emad Shargi, an Iranian-American who was detained by Iran for five years, warned Americans against traveling to Iran.

Transcript

00:01I'm here to tell all Americans, including Iranian Americans,

00:05do not go to Iran under any circumstances.

00:08Now is a particularly bad time to travel there.

00:12I know you may want to visit family and loved ones,

00:15but there is a very high risk of arrest and imprisonment by the Iranian regime.

00:21Trust me, nothing is worth being tortured for

00:24and spending years of your life in a filthy, dark Iranian jail cell.

00:29I know this because it happened to me.

00:32In 2018, I traveled to Iran to visit family.

00:36I was arrested on false accusations and was given a 10-year sentence.

00:41Before I went to Iran, I thought, this surely won't happen to me.

00:45These things happen to people who have done something wrong,

00:49who have said things against the Iranian regime.

00:52I was wrong. Don't make my mistake.

00:56To fellow Iranian Americans, your Iranian background does not protect you.

01:04It makes you an even greater target for Iranian authorities to use you as a political pawn.

01:11To anyone planning to travel to Iran, listen to me.

01:15Cancel your trip.

01:17The risks are just too high.

01:20To everyone, there are many places to travel.

01:23Do not go to Iran.

01:26There are many places in the U.S.

01:29We are fundamentally absent, in the U.S.

01:30We only actually have an essential part for you.

01:31igu machine is too high and tamper.

01:36The problem