In Martyr!, the characters' lives are radically shaped by past political events, including the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988) and the 1988 incident in which a U.S. Navy missile cruiser shot down Iran Air Flight 655. Historical events do not occur in a vacuum, but a simple overview of the Iran-Iraq War might start with the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Iranians across different social groups were united in their opposition to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the secular, Western-backed monarch of Iran. Various factors contributed to the people's discontent, including economic inequality, mismanagement of the country's resources, cultural clashes, and widespread human rights abuses. As a result, diverse groups (merchants, clergy, religious students, workers, intellectuals, and liberals) rallied behind Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a prominent Shiʿi cleric and religious scholar. He founded and became the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran in late 1979, enshrining a theocratic government with ultimate political and religious authority. The following year, in 1980, Iraqi armed forces invaded western Iran. Ayatollah Khomeini's rise to power was a catalyst for the war, because Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (who capitalized on Sunni Muslim faith to consolidate his own power) feared Iran's revolutionary government and desired to reclaim previously disputed territories. The Iran-Iraq War officially began in September 1980.
The protagonist Cyrus Shams' uncle Arash served in the Iranian army during the Iran-Iraq War, undertaking a unique and traumatizing role: he rode out on the battlefields following conflicts dressed as an angel to inspire soldiers to die with dignity. After the war ended, Arash suffered from PTSD, leading to a mostly isolated existence. Cyrus recalls how he and his father called his uncle once a year on Nowruz, but Cyrus did not grow up particularly close to Arash. In Chapter 21, Cyrus reaches out to his uncle after seeing a painting by Orkideh depicting a cowering child inside the figure of an Angel of Death.
Cyrus grows up believing that his mother, Roya, was killed on Iran Air Flight 655, a passenger plane on its way to Dubai. This is a real historical event that occurred on July 3, 1988. A U.S. Navy guided missile cruiser, the USS Vincennes, targeted Iran Air Flight 655, apparently under the impression that the civilian aircraft was a military threat. All 290 people on board were killed. The U.S. government faced scrutiny but insisted that it was an unfortunate mistake and never officially acknowledged wrongdoing, thus denying full responsibility. Although Cyrus eventually discovers the fact that his mother's lover Leila died under Roya's identity, his initial belief was part of what instilled in him an obsession with martyrdom. Cyrus's desire to seek meaning in death is a central concern in the novel.
