Iranian-Americans in Western Washington are expressing divided reactions to recent U.S. military action in Iran. While some community members celebrate the intervention as a step toward regime change, others condemn the military strike by the United States over the weekend and express concern over the potential for war.
Homeira Bakhtiari, an Iranian-American who has lived in the United States for more than 20 years, said she believes the military action is a long-overdue response to the Islamic regime. Bakhtiari has participated in protests against the Iranian government for nearly 30 years and views the current situation as a path toward democracy.
“Many people may not be pro-Trump, but what he is doing is helping Iranians to get this brutal regime,” Bakhtiari said. She stated that the push for change comes from within Iran as well as from the global community.
“90 million Iranians don’t want [this regime] anymore. They want a regime change,” she added. Bakhtiari says many people within Iran have been seeking outside assistance to end the current government’s rule.
“We asked for military intervention, not just in the United States, [but] people in Iran. Asking, crying for help,” Bakhtiari said.
Rep. Darya Farivar, a Democrat from Seattle, also identifies as Iranian-American but opposes the president’s unilateral military approach. Farivar expressed concerns regarding the safety of Iranians in the United States and the future of the country, while clarifying that her anti-war stance is not a defense of the Iranian government.
“Just because I don’t believe in war does not mean that I back the regime,” Farivar said. “I do not, I would not, and I could never back a murderous fascist theocracy like that.”
The two women also hold differing views on what leadership should look like if the current regime ends. Bakhtiari suggested that many Iranians support the return of Prince Reza Pahlavi.
“Millions and millions of Iranians, inside and outside of the country, they were asking, and they are asking for the return of Prince Pahlavi to take the power after this regime,” Bakhtiari said.
Farivar questioned whether the son of the former Shah of Iran is the right figure to establish a democratic government.
“I find it really hard to believe that... the son of the former Shah of Iran understands what democracy looks like and how to bring peace and how to bring freedom in Iran when he has personally benefited from the monarchy,” Farivar said.