During the rule of Shah Mohammadreza Pahlavi, Darisuh was arrested and sentenced to prison several times because he sang political songs.

[citation needed] Ethnomusicology Professor Farzaneh Hemmasi has described Dariush as "the best-loved popular musician of his generation" alongside Googoosh.

Also, while staying in Los Angeles, he supported all Iranians who were asylum seekers Dariush struggled with heroin addiction ever since his first incarceration.

In the year 2000, Dariush quit heroin and sang a song titled Silent Miracle (Persian: معجزه خاموش).

[9] Dariush launched his recovery site, ayeneh.org, (ayeneh translates to mirror in Persian) which marked history as the first ever website to help Iranian addicts and their families.

Dariush helps Amnesty International by focusing efforts on Iranian asylum seekers and saving working children.