In a quiet alleyway in Yerevan, Armenia, a staircase leads underground to a place that feels like something out of a movie. Down the steps, past a neon sign and a wooden door, is a dimly lit bar filled with whispered conversations, clinking glasses, and the quiet tension of people who know their lives depend on staying careful. Some of the patrons have fled Iran. Some may still work for the regime. And more than a few sitting at the tables have something most people can’t imagine: death sentences waiting for them back home.
This surreal setting — part refuge, part political salon — was the subject of a fascinating conversation on the latest episode of Breaking Battlegrounds, where hosts Chuck Warren and Sam Stone spoke with journalist Alessandra Hay about her reporting from Armenia. What she found there was more than just nightlife. It was a glimpse into the uncertain future of Iran.
A Bar That Feels Like a “Star Wars Cantina”
Hay described the bar as feeling like the famous cantina scene from Star Wars — a strange mix of people from every background, all gathered in one dim underground space. There are political refugees. There are tourists. And possibly, there are informants.
That’s part of what creates the tension. Iranian dissidents who fled the regime sit just a few feet away from people who may still support it — or worse, report back to it. Everyone knows it. Which is why conversations happen quietly, voices lowered.
A Freedom That Doesn’t Exist in Iran
One reason this bar is so unusual is simple: bars don’t exist in Iran. Alcohol is banned under the Islamic Republic, forcing those who drink to do so secretly or illegally.
But in Yerevan — just across the border — the rules are very different. For many Iranians visiting the city, it’s their first chance to experience a simple freedom most of the world takes for granted: sitting in a bar with friends and ordering a drink.
Some arrive just for a short escape — a weekend trip to live without dress codes or strict religious laws. Others arrive because they may never be able to return home.
People Who Can Never Go Back
Among the crowd are Iranian dissidents who fled after protests and political crackdowns. Some were involved in demonstrations. Others spoke out online. And some simply ended up on the wrong side of the regime.
Hay said she met multiple people in the bar who had been sentenced to death in Iran. For them, returning home isn’t an option. Instead, they gather in places like this — swapping stories, sharing information, and imagining what Iran might look like if the regime ever falls.
Armenia: A Strange Political Middle Ground
The setting adds another layer of complexity. Armenia has surprisingly friendly relations with Iran, even while positioning itself politically closer to Europe.
That means Iranian dissidents can gather there — but they are not completely free from scrutiny. Hay described incidents where Iranian expatriates celebrating political events — including the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — were broken up by authorities. Some were even arrested despite simply dancing and handing out cake.
In other words, the freedom found in these bars is real — but fragile.
Where the Future of Iran Is Whispered About
Late at night, after the music softens and the glasses start to empty, the conversations turn political. What happens if the regime collapses? Who might lead a new Iran? What kind of country could come next?
No one knows the answers. But in these quiet corners of Yerevan, people who risked everything to escape the Islamic Republic still dare to imagine them. And sometimes, revolutions begin exactly that way — not in grand speeches or public rallies, but in small rooms where people whisper about the future.
For a deeper look at this remarkable scene and the people behind it, be sure to check out Alessandra Hay’s article, “The Iranian Exiles Bar Where Revolution Is Dreamed Up.” Her reporting takes readers inside the underground bar in Yerevan and introduces the unusual mix of Iranian exiles, tourists, and dissidents who gather there — some simply seeking a taste of freedom, others quietly imagining what a future beyond the current regime in Iran might look like. It’s a fascinating window into a hidden corner of the Iranian diaspora and the whispered conversations about change happening just beyond Iran’s borders.
Transcript
Chuck Warren: Welcome to Breaking Battlegrounds. I’m your host Chuck Horn with Sam Stone. Sam, let me do the mic today. Well, that’s a pretty big deal.
Sam Stone: Sam got stuck behind a three lane across pack of bicyclists. So he was actually late getting into the studio.
Chuck Warren: We’re not going to get Sam on bicycles today. Our first guest, Alessandra Hay. She is a great reporter based in Kyiv and Armenia. And she’s written some great pieces. We’ve had her on before. She was a fantastic guest and we see her there waving to her at Zoom.
Don’t know if she can see us or not. How are you doing?
Alessandra Hay: I’m good, I’m good. I’m actually, not in Ukraine anymore. I’m in Armenia now.
Chuck Warren: So you stationed there now?
Alessandra Hay: Yeah, yeah. We actually just started a new publication. So Tim Mack just started a new branch of the counter offensive. It’s its own thing. It’s called the Iran War Dispatch. It’s at IranWar.News. And yeah, we’re still in our first week and we have a lot of subscribers and yeah, just really recommend it.
**Chuck Warren: **Folks, I recommend it too. I actually subscribed to it last night, so I’m very excited to keep up with it. Not that I ever don’t read anything, but you wrote a story, I was just fascinated, Sam and I were both fascinated by it, and it sort of felt like a Star Wars bar scene. And the title is The Iranian Exiles Bar Where Revolution is Dreamed Up. What surprised you? First of all, I’d like you to describe the scene. Paint as a picture around radio so we can see how good you can paint a picture and then tell us what stood out to you in your conversations.
**Alessandra Hay: **Yeah it’s actually it’s interesting that you picked up on the star wars bar because that was actually exactly what we were talking about when we were thinking of the start of going, that was really impression we got from this bar. So basically it’s about and this bar in Yerevan where they’re kind of this little group of Iranian businesses on the street and it’s this bar that’s underground and basically a lot of Iranians go there. But it really is one of the few Iranian bars in the world, like the obviously because, you know, alcohol is illegal in Iran.
And so it’s really unique in that way. But it really, it’s, it really is interesting because these Iranians come here, but obviously the people coming to Yerevan are not just political refugees. There are also people just coming for a city break. So there are people just you know, coming over the border, you know, sorry, hang on, I’m just gonna silence everything.
Chuck Warren: Matter of fact, let me stop you right there. I was reading a little, after I read your story, which Sam and I generally do, then we start looking up other things. Armenia is like a tourist destination for Iranians, correct?
**Alessandra Hay: **Yeah, it is. So they can kind of come here and drink alcohol and, you know, live their life without kind of, you know, dress codes or anything like that. And it’s really interesting cause this bar you get this mix. You get these political refugees who are fleeing though so many of them would be arrested if they went back immediately a lot of them. And we met multiple people who had two death sentences.
Which is just kind of crazy to imagine. And then those people are also mixing with these people who actually work for the regime or might. You don’t know that’s the thing. So there’s this real air paranoia and everyone is kind of speaking in this hush tone. So its really interesting.
Sam Stone: How is it that Armenia, so my understanding is Iranians don’t need a passport or visa to get to Armenia there’s a, or has been a cooperative agreement?
Alessandra Hay: Yeah, so Armenia, it’s interesting. Armenia actually has friendly relations with Iran, but Armenia is a really interesting country in itself because it kind of its narrative is that it’s like EU leaning, you know, it’s kind of going through the process of joining the EU and it’s supposed to, it kind of thinks of itself as this kind of oasis surrounded by these quite oppressive governments. But then it has really close, it has like friendly relations with Iran because I think there’s a lot of pressure and intimidation coming from Iran.
But so we’ve actually seen a lot of crackdowns on the Iranian protests here. Not like violent but people were arrested even when they weren’t protesting they were just celebrating the fact that Khamenei died like no slogans, banners they were just dancing and passing out cake and you know they were broken up like four or five times and a lot of people were arrested so it is a really interesting country in itself.
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