Long-time Times Reporter Dies

September 15, 2023

Susan Nelson, who worked as a reporter for many years for the Iran Times, died of lung cancer August 5 in Arlington, Virginia. She was 82 and the wife of Warren Nelson, editor of the English section of the newspaper.

Susan’s illness and descent into death disrupted Warren’s schedule and delayed the production of this issue of the Iran Times.
Susan reported many stories for the newspaper over the years, most notably the state visit of Mohammad Reza Shah in 1977, which found her outrunning the tear gas used by Washington police against anti-Shah protesters.

Susan worked many years as a reporter for newsletters, mostly dealing with energy. But one of her jobs was with a newsletter that reported exclusively on the cases before the Iran-US Claims Tribunal set up after the US embassy hostages were freed in 1981.

She was detected with lung cancer two years ago. It was caught very early and easily defeated with just five applications of radiation. But it returned this past spring with a vengeance.