British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has announced a new single titled Azizam — a Persian term of endearment meaning "my dear" or "my beloved" — created in collaboration with Grammy-nominated producer Ilya Salmanzadeh.
The song was co-written and produced by the Swedish-Iranian producer, known professionally as ILYA, the Official Charts music tracker reported.
The outlet noted that ILYA’s Iranian heritage influenced the track’s title and musical direction. ILYA was previously nominated for a Grammy Award in 2020 for Best Song Written for Visual Media for co-writing “Spirit” from The Lion King, performed by Beyoncé.
"Album done. Single soon. I’m very excited as you can tell," Sheeran wrote in an Instagram post, which featured a video of him in the studio with producer ILYA, listening to a mix of the unreleased track.
The track, which has not yet been officially released, is expected to debut in April as part of Sheeran’s forthcoming album, Play, according to Official Charts.
British-Iranian comedian Omid Djalili also appears in the music video for Azizam, which was filmed in South London and features a wedding scene.
“Wait for the video when @edsheeran gets sucked into our vortex featuring a certain overweight bald gentleman you might know #happynowruz,” Djalili wrote on X on Thursday, the day of Nowruz, the Persian New Year.
Sheeran gave fans a live preview of the track during a surprise performance in New Orleans on March 15, where he was joined by The Soul Rebels brass band, People magazine reported.
The song is reportedly a tribute to Sheeran’s wife, Cherry Seaborn, with whom he shares two daughters.
The announcement has drawn praise from several Iranian public figures.
Iranian pop star Andy commented under Sheeran’s Instagram post: "Congratulations my friend. It’s a great song and the video will be great too."
Actress and comedian Nazanin Nour called the news "Incredible," while actress and activist Nazanin Bonyadi linked it to Iranian New Year on March 20th. "In time for Noroo," she wrote on X.
Iranian social media users also responded positively, with many celebrating the use of a Persian title and welcoming the inclusion of artists from the Iranian diaspora.
“Nowruz is a joyous occasion for the Persian people, marking the beginning of spring, and the Persian New Year. This long-standing tradition presents a time to reflect on the blessings of the previous year and prepare for the coming spring with a renewed spirit of optimism,” he said in a message published by the White House on Wednesday.
The US has one of the largest expatriate population of Iranians abroad with numbers estimated to be around 620,000 in California alone, according to the Harris Poll and UCLA research.
Research from the United Nations Population Division in 2019 found that the US is the most popular destination for Iranians living abroad.
In his message, he highlighted the contributions of Iranians to various fields, saying, “The Persian people with their vibrant culture and exceptional talents in fields such as math, science, law, technology, and the arts, make many integral contributions to society.”
Trump’s statement comes amid a renewed policy of maximum pressure on Iran, including tough economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation.
A letter he sent to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, seemingly set conditions for de-escalation, calling for Tehran to dismantle its nuclear program, impose strict limits on missile development, and halt support for regional armed groups.
While Trump has voiced a preference for diplomatic means with Iran, he has not ruled out military options, while Khamenei has banned talks with the US under the current conditions.
The session, held during the UN Human Rights Council meeting, included discussions on minority rights, state repression, and accountability.
A panel hosted by the Baha’i International Community, the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center, and the Impact Iran coalition examined the systematic targeting of Baha’is. The event featured Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, alongside prominent rights advocates.
"The interviews with 56 Baha'is with direct experience of persecution offer powerful firsthand accounts that cannot be ignored," Sato said. "The report argues that the Baha'i people of Iran have long been subjected to a systematic process of othering by the state."
The 1979 constitution of the Islamic Republic recognizes only Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has on several occasions called the Baha'i faith a cult and in a religious fatwa in 2018 forbade contact, including business dealings, with followers of the faith.
Baha'is, who number around 300,000 in Iran, say their rights are systematically violated and they are often harassed, forced to leave their homes and businesses, and are deprived of government jobs and university education.
"Bahai women face intersectional discrimination, persecuted both as women and as a member of a religious minority," Sato said. She cited reports of ten Baha’i women in Isfahan being sentenced to a combined 90 years in prison and stripped of assets.
Speaking at the event, Roya Boroumand, director of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation, addressed broader societal changes.
"The Iranians are secularizing, their distancing themselves from Islam, from religion altogether, or they are converting to Zoroastrianism or Baha’ism or Christianity," she said. "For the theocracy, losing its Muslims is a disaster."
The day concluded with a screening of a documentary presented by rights group Justice for Iran, highlighting the courage of protesters and whistleblowers who exposed atrocities during the November 2019 protests.
It heard testimonies from witnesses, victims, and experts on the Iranian government’s violent crackdown, which resulted in the deaths of at least 1500 protestors and mass arrests.
Azadeh Afsahi, a psychotherapist and human rights advocate, spoke about the dangers of dehumanization. "During the Rwanda genocide, Tutsis were called cockroaches. Under Nazi Germany, Jews were called rats. It happened before and it's happening now," she said. "The Islamic Republic of Iran has used otherization to drive its agenda of violence."
As international attention remains on Iran’s human rights record, rights groups continue to document abuses and call for accountability. "Despite these challenges, the Baha'i community demonstrates remarkable resilience," Sato said.