Meryl Streep, the legendary figure of American cinema and three-time Oscar winner, was seen yesterday at a public event wearing a T-shirt that read: “Our enemies are not in Iran, they are in the Epstein files.”
This act quickly went viral on social media and sparked widespread reactions. Many interpreted it as a direct response to years of foreign policy based on Iranophobia, while simultaneously serving as a reminder of the Jeffrey Epstein case—the financier accused of sex crimes against children.
Epstein, an American financier, died in prison in 2019. However, after his death, thousands of documents, emails, and images have been released, revealing the scope of his criminal activities. These documents, known as the “Epstein files,” contain details about private parties, the so-called “Lolita Express” flights, and a vast network of his friends and accomplices.
In November 2025, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released thousands of new emails from Epstein and his associates. In one of these emails, Epstein claimed to possess compromising information about Donald Trump, the former U.S. president. Trump—who years earlier had described Epstein as a “terrific guy” and said spending time with him was “enjoyable” in an interview with New York magazine—dismissed these claims as “fake news.” Also, a birthday note with sexually suggestive content, allegedly written by Trump to Epstein in 2003, was declared fake by Trump.
On November 18, 2025, both chambers of the U.S. Congress passed the “Epstein Files Transparency Act.” This bill requires the Department of Justice to release all documents related to Epstein and his associates. Notably, Trump had opposed this bill for months but suddenly announced his support one day before its final passage. The White House issued a statement claiming the release of these emails was designed solely to generate “fake news” against Trump and was a reaction to the government shutdown caused by Democrats.
However, by wearing this T-shirt, Meryl Streep was pointing not to the day’s political controversies but to a deeper structural critique. She suggests: For years, U.S. foreign policy has introduced Iran as the number one enemy, while networks of corruption and sexual abuse within America itself have gone unpunished. In other words, the real threat lies not in the geography of Iran but in the unpublished documents and protected names still hidden in the Epstein files.
Reactions to Streep’s gesture have been deeply polarized. A group of human rights activists and artists praised her, writing that “the voice of truth is always apparent” and that Streep proved courage is still alive in Hollywood. In contrast, figures close to the right-wing and Trump supporters accused her of betraying national interests and playing into the enemy’s hands.
Meryl Streep has not yet provided further explanation about this gesture. But this single image has opened a new dialogue about national security priorities, judicial transparency, and the critique of structural Iranophobia in America.
Source: Meryl Streep’s Instagram