The talk explores politics and aesthetics of photography by Iranian photographers living in the European diaspora or exile. On the backdrop of the 21^st century political events in Iran many migrants who have left the country since the late 1990s belong to the so-called Burnt Generation in Iran, who have lived most of their lives in an environment dominated by war and religious dogmatism. With its particular interest in cultural entanglements between photography and migration, this paper provides insights into the practice of some Iranian photographers who live and work in Germany. It raises the question whether and how their photography can function as a tool for a culture of critique and socio-political expression? Do migrant photographers contribute to a “civil contract of photography”(Azoulay 2008) when they engage with either the Iranian society in times of social upheaval and political unrest or troubling experiences of migration in the host society? And in which way does this relate to or contradict the notion of “diaspora aesthetics” (Werbner 2013)? Basing on the recent project Contemporary photography as a cultural practice by diasporic Iranians in Europe (funded by the Elite PostDoc Program/ Baden Württemberg Foundation, 2017-2020), the talk will present some of the theoretical and methodological endeavours and first outcomes of this study.