This is a 2017 post.
We hope that you had a very Happy Valentine’s Day.
We warn you that you will be seeing that Valentine’s Day card sent to Iran in your mailbox with a big “Return to sender” on the front.
Unfortunately, no girl got flowers in Iran or no wife made some Valentine’s Day cookies. No way! In fact, it is illegal:
Iranian news outlets reported the police directive Friday warning retailers against promoting “decadent Western culture through Valentine’s Day rituals.” Police informed Tehran’s coffee and ice cream shops trade union to avoid any gatherings in which boys and girls exchange Valentine’s Day gifts.
The annual Feb. 14 homage to romance, which tradition says is named after an early Christian martyr, has become popular in recent years in Iran and other Middle East countries.
The backlash in the Islamic Republic is part of a drive against the spread of Western culture.
Saudi Arabia has also sought to stamp out Valentine’s Day but it’s celebrated widely in nearby places like Dubai.
A country that doesn’t tolerate Valentine’s Day? Welcome to Iran, or the country that we gave billions to under the expectation that there were reformers in the horizon.
Years ago, we saw this same regime kill its own people for calling for free and honest elections. Just a few days, they marched with “Death to America” placards.
We need regime change in Iran not more deals.
