Tehran | טַהֲרָן

Drama, Thriller | 45 min | Last episode: July 27, 2020

If you are ready for some real action as you sit at home in quarantine, and have already finished binge-watching Fauda and Homeland on Netflix, look no further. Israel’s new Mossad action, spy adventure TV show, Tehran, will give you that Israeli adrenaline rush you have been looking for.

The Storyline

Set in present-day Tehran, Iran, the show follows a young agent working for Israel’s leading intelligence agency, the Mossad. The protagonist, Tamar, is sent on a mission to dismantle one of Iran’s nuclear facilities as she navigates around Iranian intelligence and local agents out to get her. The show keeps you on your toes as you journey through the suspense, the romance, and the highs and lows with rapt attention to the detail and nuance each scene presents.

Not only is Tehran wildly entertaining, but the show is also aimed at broaching the complex and often unknown relationship between Iran and Israel, specific to Persian Jewry. While most of us are aware of the political narrative surrounding Iran, there is a rich and nostalgic Persian history that lives in the Jewish psyche.

Tehran touches upon the emotional strain on Persian Jews after the mass exodus from Iran during the Iranian Revolution in 1979. Many Jews escaped to Israel or America for fear of religious persecution and economic strain, yet families were torn apart and many had to start their lives over.

The show is filmed almost exclusively in Farsi, Iran’s most common Persian language, with the exception of a few scenes in Hebrew and English. Through this, we enter into the world of Persian Jewry and begin to understand just a bit more about the loss that came with their exodus.

Today, Iran is seen to be one of Israel’s greatest enemies. Tehran goes deep into unchartered territory, revealing the dangers and threats, and the many layers of this relationship. It touches upon the complicated narrative, and allows viewers to experience both sides, however, with a true sense of Israeli nationalism!

Tehran will entertain you, educate you and enlighten you, and leave you feeling uplifted in Israeli pride.