Arezou Rezvani
Arezou Rezvani is a reporter for NPR's flagship news programs. She's also founding editor of Up First, NPR's Golden Globe-nominated daily news podcast.
She is often among the first at the network to deploy to conflicts and war zones, where much of her work centers on people experiencing the most difficult days of their lives. She has spent time with children mining for coal in Afghanistan, followed families in Syria looking for loved ones who disappeared under Bashar al-Assad's rule, and visited children in Ukraine wounded in Russian airstrikes. Since the start of the 2026 US-Israel war against Iran, she's been bringing the voices of those living under bombardment, a state-imposed digital blackout, and an intense security crackdown to air, offering rare snapshots of Iranians' lives, their hopes and fears. From Islamic State fighters to war widows, Rezvani takes listeners to people and places they would otherwise never hear from or visit.
In 2014, Rezvani led an investigation into the Pentagon's 1033 program, which supplies local law enforcement with surplus military-grade weapons and vehicles. The findings were cited by lawmakers during hearings on Capitol Hill and contributed to the Obama administration's decision to scale back the program.
In 2026, Rezvani won an Edward R. Murrow award for her work on a series about the state of free speech in President Trump's America. Her multi-part series about children and opioid addiction won a Gracie Award in 2019. She was awarded a White House News Photographer Association Award for Politics is Personal, an audio/visual project she led ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.
Rezvani holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of Southern California and bachelor's degrees in political science and French from the University of California, Davis. She lives in Los Angeles.
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What a new round of U.S. sanctions could mean after nearly six months of war with Iran — and years of economic pressure on the country. -
Iran's World Cup team says it's the most oppressed team due to U.S.-imposed visa and travel restrictions. But those hassles pale in comparison to the pressures Iran places on its own athletes.
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Protesters rallied for change outside Iran's World Cup opener against New Zealand as fans packed the stadium.
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Iran's national soccer team will play against New Zealand Monday night in Los Angeles, home to the largest Iranian community outside Iran. Many are torn on whether to support Iran's team.
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The U.S. has long attracted top talent to come study and work. Many are now at risk of being deported because of a pause on visa processing. For Iranian nationals, returning home is risky.
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People in Iran are back online after a government-imposed digital blackout that lasted nearly three months. Reconnecting has been bittersweet for many Iranians.
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Iran is experiencing the longest internet blackout ever recorded with 99% of the population offline. But certain people — with "white internet" — have stayed connected this entire time.
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Among Iranians who oppose the regime in Tehran, some welcome the U.S. bombing campaign, while others say it is going too far.
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NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks to Reporter and Senior Editor Arezou Rezvani about the impact the war is having on Iranians and people in the surrounding area.
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Iran has imposed a near-total internet blackout as the war with the U.S. and Israel rages on. Some Iranians are sending voice memos to share a glimpse of what life is like inside the country.
