Nassim Assefi
@nassefi.bsky.social
women's health/global health/human rights physician, novelist, creative content catalyst, TED(+MED)ster, single mama, Iranian-American, global nomad, feminist, thrillionaire; www.nassimassefi.com
The importance and difficulty of confirming the Iran death toll: www.aljazeera.com/opinions/202...
Appropriating the death count: Manufacturing consent for an attack on Iran
Protest death toll speculations are used to rally support for an attack on Iran and downplay the genocide in Gaza.
www.aljazeera.com
February 1, 2026 at 8:02 PM
The importance and difficulty of confirming the Iran death toll: www.aljazeera.com/opinions/202...
Yikes. Our crumbling geopolitical structure…people thought I was overreacting when I became a Trump refugee
At its headquarters in Geneva, signs warning of the situation have been put up everywhere. In an almost desperate attempt to save cash, the escalators are regularly turned off and the heating turned down.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
UN risks 'imminent financial collapse', secretary general warns
António Guterres says the international body could run out of money by July due to members' unpaid fees.
www.bbc.com
January 31, 2026 at 6:41 AM
Yikes. Our crumbling geopolitical structure…people thought I was overreacting when I became a Trump refugee
Excellent article by @janehu.bsky.social of @slate.com, exploring the tricky terrain of double-blinded, placebo controlled randomized controlled trials of psychedelics. slate.com/technology/2... We in Western medicine undervalue the very real placebo effect (ask me about my NIH-funded RCT of Reiki).
It Could Be the Next Blockbuster Drug. There’s Just One Part No One Wants to Talk About.
No one knows how psychedelics work. The answer may be strange.
slate.com
January 30, 2026 at 7:19 PM
Excellent article by @janehu.bsky.social of @slate.com, exploring the tricky terrain of double-blinded, placebo controlled randomized controlled trials of psychedelics. slate.com/technology/2... We in Western medicine undervalue the very real placebo effect (ask me about my NIH-funded RCT of Reiki).
100% this on false choices and imposed binaries benefitting those in power. There is another way for Iran if we are a bit slower and steadier in political and economic pressure. Another must read by SAIS’s @nargesbajoghli.bsky.social www.facebook.com/share/p/1Cp5...
Redirecting...
www.facebook.com
January 29, 2026 at 7:55 PM
100% this on false choices and imposed binaries benefitting those in power. There is another way for Iran if we are a bit slower and steadier in political and economic pressure. Another must read by SAIS’s @nargesbajoghli.bsky.social www.facebook.com/share/p/1Cp5...
Run to see Jafar Panahi's latest film "It was just an accident" or Simple Accident. Secretly filmed in Iran. Such poignant themes today about the human desire for revenge and reconciliation, the complexity of human emotions, the reverberations of torture/PTSD, and the resilience of ordinary people.
January 29, 2026 at 11:06 AM
Run to see Jafar Panahi's latest film "It was just an accident" or Simple Accident. Secretly filmed in Iran. Such poignant themes today about the human desire for revenge and reconciliation, the complexity of human emotions, the reverberations of torture/PTSD, and the resilience of ordinary people.
Everything is connected. From Gaza to MPLS. We are in the days of transnational empire--networked, distributed, enabled by big tech/corporations. Trenchant analysis by the ever wonderful Dr. Narges Bajoghli of SAIS: www.facebook.com/share/p/18H4...
Redirecting...
www.facebook.com
January 28, 2026 at 7:26 AM
Everything is connected. From Gaza to MPLS. We are in the days of transnational empire--networked, distributed, enabled by big tech/corporations. Trenchant analysis by the ever wonderful Dr. Narges Bajoghli of SAIS: www.facebook.com/share/p/18H4...
Reposted by Nassim Assefi
Latest numbers out of Iran.
January 27, 2026 at 4:22 AM
Latest numbers out of Iran.
Incredibly powerful, beautiful, and heartbreaking letter from a young man in Iran in the midst of his military service writing about the days following the protests, the "suspended agency" quieter than despair. www.equator.org/articles/teh...
A Society Exhausted by Repetition • EQUATOR
A young Iranian weighs the protests in his country, and traces the line between hope and despair, in an essay delivered through a frail WhatsApp connection
www.equator.org
January 27, 2026 at 7:23 AM
Incredibly powerful, beautiful, and heartbreaking letter from a young man in Iran in the midst of his military service writing about the days following the protests, the "suspended agency" quieter than despair. www.equator.org/articles/teh...
This is too good. Greenlanders talk about Trump deserving the Nobel Peace Prize...with a twist: www.facebook.com/share/p/1DQ5...
Redirecting...
www.facebook.com
January 26, 2026 at 8:05 PM
This is too good. Greenlanders talk about Trump deserving the Nobel Peace Prize...with a twist: www.facebook.com/share/p/1DQ5...
Disheartened by in-fighting (not new) in Iranian diaspora. Those on the "right" supporting Reza Pahlavi cyber-bully (+ much worse) those who don't agree with them. I've received online hate + kicked out of a supposedly apolitical med humanitarian group 4 questioning their support of foreign bombing.
January 26, 2026 at 10:35 AM
Disheartened by in-fighting (not new) in Iranian diaspora. Those on the "right" supporting Reza Pahlavi cyber-bully (+ much worse) those who don't agree with them. I've received online hate + kicked out of a supposedly apolitical med humanitarian group 4 questioning their support of foreign bombing.
The most helpful, concise analysis on the Iran-USA-Israel access and next steps I'm reading lately come from @citrinowicz.bsky.social on Twitter (lamentably). He's an Israeli, a political Iran, peace and security expert, and Atlantic Council Fellow. Balanced views. Follow him: x.com/citrinowicz
x.com
January 26, 2026 at 10:30 AM
The most helpful, concise analysis on the Iran-USA-Israel access and next steps I'm reading lately come from @citrinowicz.bsky.social on Twitter (lamentably). He's an Israeli, a political Iran, peace and security expert, and Atlantic Council Fellow. Balanced views. Follow him: x.com/citrinowicz
Meticulously researched (including by friends of mine), horrific, brutal account by @nytimes.com about what happened in Iran: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/w...
How Iran Crushed a Citizen Uprising With Lethal Force
www.nytimes.com
January 26, 2026 at 10:26 AM
Meticulously researched (including by friends of mine), horrific, brutal account by @nytimes.com about what happened in Iran: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/w...
Reposted by Nassim Assefi
Reposted by Nassim Assefi
This is cold-blooded state murder of an US citizen. Stephen Miller called Alex Pretti a "domestic terrorist" & claimed he was trying to "assassinate" federal officers. A total lie. Only a cretin would hurl this falsehood & stick with it. This a fascistic and reckless disregard of life & the truth.
Very good that TMZ is running this headline on its top story rn: www.tmz.com/2026/01/24/n...
January 25, 2026 at 2:01 AM
This is cold-blooded state murder of an US citizen. Stephen Miller called Alex Pretti a "domestic terrorist" & claimed he was trying to "assassinate" federal officers. A total lie. Only a cretin would hurl this falsehood & stick with it. This a fascistic and reckless disregard of life & the truth.
Reposted by Nassim Assefi
WOW on Pretti's denial of medical treatment
"I informed the ICE agents that I am a physician, and I asked to
assess the victim.
At first, the ICE agents wouldn't let me through. ... But none of the ICE agents who were near the victim were performing CPR, ... None of the agents were helping him."
"I informed the ICE agents that I am a physician, and I asked to
assess the victim.
At first, the ICE agents wouldn't let me through. ... But none of the ICE agents who were near the victim were performing CPR, ... None of the agents were helping him."
January 25, 2026 at 1:58 AM
WOW on Pretti's denial of medical treatment
"I informed the ICE agents that I am a physician, and I asked to
assess the victim.
At first, the ICE agents wouldn't let me through. ... But none of the ICE agents who were near the victim were performing CPR, ... None of the agents were helping him."
"I informed the ICE agents that I am a physician, and I asked to
assess the victim.
At first, the ICE agents wouldn't let me through. ... But none of the ICE agents who were near the victim were performing CPR, ... None of the agents were helping him."
Reposted by Nassim Assefi
"I am a children's entertainer who specializes in face painting," writes a woman now in hiding from the federal government for witnessing a state-sanctioned street execution
You have to read this. Firsthand affidavit from one of the women who was there and recording the video. She talks about how Alex Pretti was directing traffic when she arrived. She watched him be killed in front of her. She's afraid to go home, worried she'll be arrested.
January 25, 2026 at 2:03 AM
"I am a children's entertainer who specializes in face painting," writes a woman now in hiding from the federal government for witnessing a state-sanctioned street execution
Reposted by Nassim Assefi
BREAKING - Iran update
As some Iranians have been able to use messaging apps, confirmed fatalities, arrests, etc have skyrocketed.
Currently 22,490 fatalities have been confirmed and are under investigation.
As some Iranians have been able to use messaging apps, confirmed fatalities, arrests, etc have skyrocketed.
Currently 22,490 fatalities have been confirmed and are under investigation.
January 25, 2026 at 5:10 AM
BREAKING - Iran update
As some Iranians have been able to use messaging apps, confirmed fatalities, arrests, etc have skyrocketed.
Currently 22,490 fatalities have been confirmed and are under investigation.
As some Iranians have been able to use messaging apps, confirmed fatalities, arrests, etc have skyrocketed.
Currently 22,490 fatalities have been confirmed and are under investigation.
Reposted by Nassim Assefi
Reposted by Nassim Assefi
“There is a logic, and this logic has a name. It’s called state terror.” www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/o...
Opinion | State Terror Has Arrived
www.nytimes.com
January 25, 2026 at 8:15 AM
“There is a logic, and this logic has a name. It’s called state terror.” www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/o...
Reposted by Nassim Assefi
This is such an important point and here in Europe we should be building the skills and connections now to make sure that the truth continues to matter and powerful people can be held to account.
The alternative is going down and down the spiral of democratic disenchantment and erosion…
The alternative is going down and down the spiral of democratic disenchantment and erosion…
The events of the last 24 hours show why it's important to build functional verification structures in public and counterpublic spaces to resist the authoritarian erosion of our democratic systems, as described in this thread.
🧵 @jburnmurdoch.ft.com is spot on about the conditions in his FT piece. Liberal democracy held it together thanks to growth, good demographics, and the promise of a better future. Those days are gone, and that’s the "why" behind the erosion. However...
January 25, 2026 at 9:36 AM
This is such an important point and here in Europe we should be building the skills and connections now to make sure that the truth continues to matter and powerful people can be held to account.
The alternative is going down and down the spiral of democratic disenchantment and erosion…
The alternative is going down and down the spiral of democratic disenchantment and erosion…
This is brilliant re-framing. The best scientists ask the right question (which is often refocused), they don't necessarily arrive at the right answer. Wonderful perspective published in Genome Biology in 2019 thanks to discovery in Tim Ferriss' 5 bullet Friday link.springer.com/article/10.1...
What is the question? - Genome Biology
Genome Biology -
link.springer.com
January 24, 2026 at 2:04 PM
This is brilliant re-framing. The best scientists ask the right question (which is often refocused), they don't necessarily arrive at the right answer. Wonderful perspective published in Genome Biology in 2019 thanks to discovery in Tim Ferriss' 5 bullet Friday link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Nassim Assefi
The US withdrawal from #WHO became official today, leaving the world less prepared for dangerous disease outbreaks. “When that will bite us in the ass, it’s impossible to predict. But there is a 100% certainty that it will bite us in the ass,” one expert told me. www.statnews.com/2026/01/22/u...
U.S. makes exit from the WHO complete
The U.S. withdrawal from the WHO became official Thursday, formalizing a fissure between the Trump administration and the Geneva-based global health agency.
www.statnews.com
January 22, 2026 at 3:52 PM
The US withdrawal from #WHO became official today, leaving the world less prepared for dangerous disease outbreaks. “When that will bite us in the ass, it’s impossible to predict. But there is a 100% certainty that it will bite us in the ass,” one expert told me. www.statnews.com/2026/01/22/u...
This kind of evidence made me run to get my Shingles vax. One down, one to go.
The Shingles vaccine has outperformed all expectations. Why?
erictopol.substack.com/p/spotlight-...
erictopol.substack.com/p/spotlight-...
January 22, 2026 at 3:13 PM
This kind of evidence made me run to get my Shingles vax. One down, one to go.
Reposted by Nassim Assefi
Two weeks without internet in Iran.
What we already know is bad enough — just imagine what we’re going to find out in the coming weeks and months.
The Islamic Republic is a criminal regime.
What we already know is bad enough — just imagine what we’re going to find out in the coming weeks and months.
The Islamic Republic is a criminal regime.
January 22, 2026 at 5:22 AM
Two weeks without internet in Iran.
What we already know is bad enough — just imagine what we’re going to find out in the coming weeks and months.
The Islamic Republic is a criminal regime.
What we already know is bad enough — just imagine what we’re going to find out in the coming weeks and months.
The Islamic Republic is a criminal regime.
I want to know if Trump will sue or if he appreciates the Putin meme
ewww
Our cover this week.
January 22, 2026 at 11:58 AM
I want to know if Trump will sue or if he appreciates the Putin meme