SEATTLE — A war overseas is fueling sharp divisions here at home, as dueling perspectives played out in the streets of Seattle on Tuesday afternoon.
Dozens gathered on the steps of Seattle City Hall for an anti-war rally opposing U.S. military action in Iran.
Demonstrators chanted and held signs calling for an end to the conflict, but the event grew tense when a smaller group arrived expressing support for the war.
At times, the confrontation turned physical, with some individuals attempting to knock Iranian flags out of the hands of counter-protesters.
State Rep. Darya Farivar, who spoke at the anti-war rally, urged an end to violence abroad.
“Whenever there’s a bombing, whenever there is military intervention, whenever there is war, the one thing is certain, which is that innocent people will be killed,” Farivar said.
Earlier in the day, in Kirkland, a very different viewpoint emerged.
At a Persian bakery, several Iranian Americans said they support U.S. military action, arguing it could lead to the fall of Iran’s current government.
“Well, I’m 100% happy,” said Iranian-American Abbas Ghaffari. “If they can just finish it the way that the Iranian people wanted it, which means they get rid of the regime. There’s no rule, there’s no law.”
Homeira Bakhtiari, who said she lived under the Iranian regime and still has family there, echoed that sentiment. She later attended the rally in Seattle to show support for the war.
“This regime must go because this criminal regime is not only dangerous for our citizens in Iran, Iranian people, but also for the whole world,” Bakhtiari said. “No one wants war. We don’t want to have a war, but they created this chaos at the beginning by enriching uranium.”
President Trump announced a ceasefire just an hour before the deadline he had set for his demands to be met, but it’s subject to the Straight of Hormuz being reopened.
Posting to his Truth Social page, the president said: “We received a 10- point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate.”
Patrick Schoettmer, a political science professor at Seattle University, said the president’s rhetoric surrounding the conflict could have lasting consequences.
“Adopting this kind of language fundamentally undercuts and weakens America’s standing in the international order,” Schoettmer said. “It sounds more like rhetoric we would hear coming from Moscow than from Washington, D.C.”