Overview
- Iranian Australians in rural New South Wales say they cannot reach family in Iran because of reported internet and mobile shutdowns during Nowruz, turning a family holiday into a tense wait for news.
- Regional hubs are stepping in as cultural anchors, with Wagga Wagga hosting its largest set of Nowruz events in years, including poetry readings, egg painting, and a classical Persian music concert.
- In the United States, an Iranian American member of Congress said her community scaled back public festivities in Phoenix and is struggling to celebrate while a state-imposed blackout cuts off calls and texts from Iran.
- The Boston Globe reports that surprise attacks by the U.S. and Israel in late February began an ongoing war in Iran, which has killed regime figures and civilians, and it says the diaspora is split over the conflict as the lawmaker questions the case for war.
- Nowruz marks the spring equinox and centers on rituals like the haft-seen table with symbolic items such as garlic for health and apples for beauty, and this year some celebrants in Australia voiced hope that renewal could signal political change in Iran.