Meisam Amini may have lived in France since 2010, but last January he did not hesitate to return to his native Iran to support his loved ones, in the midst of an increasingly “unstable” political situation. Double Asian champion and vice-world wrestling champion in 2003, at not even 20 years old, this adopted Lyonnais tells 20 Minutes his extremely stressful daily life since the outbreak of war in the Middle East.
Coach at the Lyon Saint-Priest Lutte club, the 42-year-old Iranian appreciates the numerous messages of support from France on his Instagram account (17,000 subscribers). The man who also collaborated with the International Wrestling Federation during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games gives his vision of a period of high tension experienced in his province of Mazandéran (northern Iran), alongside his parents and his son Mikaeil (16 years old).
How are you experiencing this current period, with a fragile truce established between the United States and Iran for two weeks?
Nothing is fixed yet. The country is officially in truce but the situation is very critical. If a global agreement is not found in the coming days, the war could resume with a vengeance. In recent months, there has been a lot of drama in Iran, first with the events during the protests, where many lost their lives, and then with the deaths of children in the bombings.
I extend my condolences to all the families and pray that God will soothe their hearts. We live in constant expectation of a tragic event. Those who live near strategic sites or sensitive cities are the most anxious. Because even with the technological precision of strikes, war remains unpredictable and innocent civilians always end up paying a high price.
Would you like to return to your Lyon region as quickly as possible?
No, as long as the situation is not stable, I cannot return to France. My heart is divided: if things finally stabilize and my presence here is no longer a vital necessity for my family, I will return immediately and my first instinct will be to go to the Saint-Priest club to resume training again. But now, my wish is to stay here to protect my parents and my family. It’s the same for my son Mikaeil (born in Iran and arrived in France at the age of 6 months), who came here with me and who absolutely wants to stay by my side. In these difficult war conditions, the presence of a single person can be decisive.
Likewise, as a national athlete, I feel my role is to stand with the people and provide whatever help I can. I never forget that when I was on the wrestling mat representing Iran, these were the same people who accompanied me with their prayers and encouragement. Today, in these crucial and painful moments, it is my sacred duty to return the favor, to be there to share their pain, their sorrow, and above all to instill hope.
What was the trigger that pushed you to return to Iran at the start of 2026?
I saw that the situation there was becoming unstable and I was very worried about my parents and loved ones. A few days before the January protests, I left with Mikaeil. And how lucky to be there! Due to the extreme stress of the events, my father had a heart attack and had to undergo open heart surgery. After the operation, his condition was very critical. The doctors contacted me in intensive care saying: “Your father is calling you, he is not well.” As soon as he saw me, he was relieved and his condition improved. After a few days, I took him home to take care of him.
Where were you when Donald Trump made the start of the war official on February 28?
When the war started, I was at home caring for my father, in Mazandéran province, north of Tehran. When the capital was bombed, the sound of explosions could be heard in the distance. In a country at war, everything changes instantly. An immense stress invades public opinion, between the fear of the shortage of food, medicine, fuel. People are rushing to stock up on essentials. The country is now in a state of semi-shutdown.
What terrified many people was Donald Trump’s comments regarding strikes on power plants. Our lives depend on electricity, especially for hospitalized patients on respiratory assistance. If a power plant is affected, repairs take a very long time. So some have bought electric motors, but that’s barely enough to charge a phone.
Have you been afraid of dying over the past two months?
It’s true that at the beginning, with the war context, the stress was immense. But we end up hardening. I remember nights when many drones flew over our house. The air defense fire was so deafening it sounded like it was coming from our own backyard. It was an unbearable noise, and this scenario repeated itself for dozens of nights. We never knew where it was going to land.
Have you always remained close to your country since moving to France sixteen years ago?
At the beginning, communication was very difficult with Iran, we had to use specific cards to make calls. So I only stayed in contact with my parents by telephone. But in the last two years, I have traveled to Iran more often due to a wrestling internship project. I had scheduled a training camp bringing together wrestlers from Lyon and all over France with the Iranian world champions. I worked for months and invested a lot of money in this. But with the current situation, everything has fallen through. I hope that upon my return, President Emmanuel Macron can support me so that I can relaunch a program for French wrestlers.
Why did you choose to leave your country to join France?
I chose France to create a change in my life, live a new experience, discover the world, its cultures and its ways of life. At the time, France had a very good image in Iran. I already had an attraction that pushed me to choose this destination.
Would you have liked to one day represent France in wrestling competitions?
In 2010, I was champion of the Rhône-Alpes region. But as I did not have a French passport, I could not participate in the national championships. The following year, I was invited to the French team’s training course at Insep in the 74 kg category, with a view to the European Championships. The Minister of Foreign Affairs was scheduled to ask for my passport, but an old injury awoke just before the competition and prevented me from going. Since then, I have turned to coaching. I applied for naturalization to have a French passport but the procedure is very long.
Have you maintained any particular contact with France since your return to Iran?
Yes, my friends, my students and the wrestlers in France are very worried about me and they send me many affectionate messages. I thank them for all their moral support, which is invaluable to me. I feel that the French are in solidarity with the Iranian people. Due to frequent power cuts and lack of Internet, it is very difficult for us to follow international news closely.
I would like to send a message to President Emmanuel Macron: I ask him, given his influence and diplomatic weight, to play a historic role at this critical moment to help ensure that this situation is resolved permanently. My wish is that wars stop everywhere in the world. I sincerely hope that no other human loses their life, whether in armed conflict or during protests.
Does your passion for wrestling help you get through such times?
At the start of the crisis, I didn’t leave the house, I took care of my father exclusively. But for the past two weeks, I have sometimes gone to the wrestling club to get a mental change of scenery, including with my son Mikaeil, also a wrestler. My region of Mazandéran is the world center for wrestling, and the majority of the wrestlers on the national team come from there.
Our file on the war in Iran
The situation is unstable and heavy, and nothing brings me more peace than a wrestling mat. This sport allows me not to let myself get discouraged. And then as a high-level athlete, I have to stay strong physically and mentally to be useful and help others through this ordeal. Iran is a country with a thousand-year history, an immensely rich culture and a courageous people.
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