Maryam Azimi, the Iranian Apple engineer who had previously written about being detained and transferred blindfolded in an Islamic Republic intelligence vehicle in Mashhad, introduced one of the new iPhone 18 Pro camera technologies at Apple’s global launch ceremony.

In a pre-recorded Apple presentation, Azimi, presented as an image quality engineer, introduced the “Apple Reference Image” capability; a technology that, by creating an unchangeable reference image, enables the verification of photo authenticity and distinguishing it from edited or AI-generated images.

Azimi’s presence at the event drew attention among Iranians; both because of her role in developing imaging technology at one of the largest technology companies in the world, and because of her public positions against the Islamic Republic and the account she published about her detention.

Amid protests in Iran, Azimi published a video from the Vakilabad area of Mashhad and wrote that years ago, blindfolded in the back of an intelligence forces vehicle and on the way to court, she had passed through the same street.

She wrote about those moments: “At the time, I didn’t know where we were going and thought these were the last minutes of my life.” https://