The Smell of Freedom

When Siamak Namazi landed at JFK Airport in New York City from Iran as a 12-year-old — his mother and older brother by his side — his uncle, Shapour, waited to greet them.

They hugged and embraced, and Shapour instructed Siamak and his brother to take a deep breath.

“Can you tell that thing in the air here?” he asked, prompting the two brothers to sniff.

When they said they couldn’t, Uncle Shapour said, "This is what freedom smells like." 

It would be another year before Siamak’s father, whose life was in danger due to the senior positions he held during the Shah’s time, would be able to reunite with his family.

After attending school and college in America and receiving his MBA from the London School of Business, Siamak became a strategic planner for a private oil company in the Emirates.

In 2015, he returned to Iran, to attend a funeral and visit his family. But at the airport, before his return trip, Siamak was suddenly accosted by Revolutionary Guard intelligence agents in plain clothes and detained for questioning. With no answers to give, Siamak was eventually blindfolded and placed in a car. Terrified, he was taken to the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran, housing political prisoners. 

For the next 2,898 days, he had to endure the harshest of conditions, as he lived in a three-foot by seven-foot cement jail cell with no bed, only blankets. Suddenly, what was supposed to be a weekend vacation to his homeland became a test of wills, a battle of his mind over the senseless treatment of the Iranian government.

Siamak wasn't about to give in, as he understood Iran was taking Americans for no cause, only to use them as pawns in their wicked hostage diplomacy versus the United States.

Instantly, Siamak understood he needed a physical and mental plan to withstand the Iranian guards. He knew he had to rewire and calm his mind. He couldn't allow anxiousness to rule his life. Each morning, he knew he needed a purpose when he got off the hard concrete.

So, he developed a daily routine for his awful situation. He counted shapes in the cement walls; he exercised by pacing in his cell, courting each step. And with each passing day, the hopes of gaining his release through the Obama and Trump administrations offered more disappointments.

Yet, those setbacks didn't stop him from continuing his resiliency and only strengthened his mind over the harsh conditions. 

After taking a bold chance to do a live interview with CNN from his jail cell, Siamak was finally granted his release in September of 2023 through a diplomatic deal between Tehran and Washington. He holds the distinction of being the longest-held hostage in Iran. 

We can all learn from Siamak's amazing story that when we face his challenges, we must calm our minds, become brutally honest about the situation, and rewire our brains to accept reality.

Don't take anything for granted; always challenge yourself to make the best of a bad situation and enhance your mental toughness each day by never giving in. 

When Siamak arrived at a United States military base, he paused as he walked off the plane and took a deep breath. This time, he knew exactly what to look for in the air: the smell of freedom.

Welcome home, Siamak. 

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