Periodistán en Telesur - Abadán, el Brasil del Golfo Pérsico

April 10, 2026·15 min·1 clip

A journalist reveals how Iran's reality contradicts Western media fear-mongering, after a U.S. president threatened to erase its ancient civilization.

The episode opens with commentary on Donald Trump's threat against Persian civilization, immediately contrasting it with the host's personal experience of Iranian hospitality during a three-month visit. He describes how Iranians competed to host him, paying for almost nothing during his 90-day stay. The host then introduces the central mystery: while visiting the Iran-Iraq border city of Abadán, he discovered what he calls 'Brazil' in the Persian Gulf. Abadán is described as a non-touristy city with 55-degree summer heat, oil refineries, and proximity to the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The host explains that Abadán displays Brazilian flags, photos of Neymar and Ronaldinho, and intense passion for the Brazilian national football team. To understand this phenomenon, the episode delves into Abadán's demographics: it has an Arab majority and significant Afro-Iranian community, unlike most of Iran. The city was devastated during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, which destroyed its former prosperity as 'the girlfriend of the Gulf.' Post-war, residents sought a distinctive identity, which emerged through a legend about a 1970s Brazilian visitor who compared Abadán's heat, sea breeze, and street football to Brazil. This analogy grew into a full-blown cultural adoption, with some locals even claiming Abadán was originally part of Brazil during the Pangea supercontinent era. The local football club, Zob Naft, changed its colors to yellow and blue and adopted the nickname 'the Brazil of Iran.' During World Cups, the city paralyzes for Brazilian matches. The episode concludes with the story of Brazilian player Leo Pimenta, who received an overwhelming welcome in 2007 despite being relatively unknown in Brazil. The host frames this story as an alternative to typical war-focused narratives about Iran.

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