‘Tehran’ premieres on Apple as nationwide protests rock Iran
Season 3 of Israeli spy thriller set in Iranian capital airs on streaming platform during tumultuous mass movement
Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
It was during the recent spate of anti-regime Iranian protests that Apple TV premiered Season 3 of “Tehran,” the Israeli series about a Mossad agent embedded in the country’s capital.
The streaming platform had been waiting for the right moment to air the show, director Daniel Syrkin told The Times of Israel, but could never have guessed at the timing of the nationwide upwelling, which was brutally suppressed by the regime.
“I think Apple was just waiting for the right moment,” said Syrkin.
After Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June 2025, which saw a series of US strikes, including a bombing reminiscent of the third season’s storyline, Apple TV decided against the initially scheduled July date.
The launch date for Season 3, featuring actor Hugh Laurie, was pushed off to January 9, with new episodes released weekly on Fridays through February 27.
Apple TV does not release viewership figures, but “Tehran” is featured as one of the streaming platform’s top 10 shows, following “Pluribus” and “H/Jack.”
Nearly two weeks before the premiere, on December 28, demonstrations began over Iran’s ailing economy and morphed into a mass movement demanding the removal of the clerical system that has ruled Iran since the 1979 revolution.
The death toll in the suppressed demonstrations in Iran is more than 16,500, according to a Sunday Times report citing an account put together by a network of Iranian doctors, far exceeding most previous estimates.
Syrkin said that he and his actors of Iranian origin were “totally immersed in this event, and all of us on production as well. During the years of making this show, we all became close to all things Iranian.”
Syrkin, as well as lead actress Niv Sultan, who plays Mossad agent Tamar Rabinyan, posted supportive messages on Instagram.
Actress and singer Liraz Charhi, who appeared in Season 2 of “Tehran” and whose family is Iranian, has been posting daily, sharing information about Israeli gatherings in support of the Iranian protestors.
“Most of my friends are exiled Iranians and are super concerned about their families back in Iran,” said Syrkin.
More than 200,000 Iranians settled in Israel after 1948, and following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, an additional 10,000 to 15,000 Iranian Jews fled to Israel.
Given the number of Israelis who came from Iran and the two countries’ long and complex history, Syrkin’s goal has been to make the show realistic for Israeli viewers and gripping for international viewers.
The Israeli espionage series has always included elements of art imitating reality in its plotlines, including the use of booby-trapped cellphones to assassinate regime leaders or the targeting of nuclear facilities. Now it offers viewers a weekly glance at the brutality of the regime.
This latest season, like the other two, was filmed in and around Athens.
Syrkin’s writing team began working on the latest season well before the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror onslaught. It was first aired on Israel’s Kan 11 in December 2024.
The Times of Israel Community.