As tensions increase over protests in Iran, members of the local Iranian community here in the Pacific Northwest and their friends are showing their support.
Demonstrators gathered at Bellevue’s Downtown Park Sunday.
They gathered to recognize brave protesters in the economically-distressed Islamic Republic and thanked President Trump for supporting those who are speaking out in Iran.
Dr. Mahshid Kamyab, a physician with a medical practice in Marysville, was one of the organizers of Sunday’s protest.
“We are so thankful for our president here,” Kamyab said. “He is standing with the people of Iran. He is standing on the right side of history. He is actually making history.”
The president last week warned if the Iranian regime “violently kills peaceful protesters” the U.S. would come to their rescue.
“They’ve been killing our people, torturing them, arresting them, Kamyab added. “People don’t have enough water. They don’t have enough electricity. They don’t have gas,” she said, “and if they say anything, they get arrested. They get killed.”
The Associated Press reports the protests in Iran have reached over 170 locations in 25 of the country’s 31 provinces.
On Sunday, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported the death toll from the most recent demonstrations have reached at least 15 killed and more than 580 arrests.
The group obtains its information from an activist network inside Iran, and has been reported to be fairly accurate during past unrest.
Another organizer of the Bellevue protest, Homeira Bakhtiari, points to the high number of deaths associated with those who speak out about conditions in Iran this year.
“Tragically, in 2025 alone, the number of executions carried out by this regime doubled, with around 2,000 individuals losing their lives — many without any form of trial,” Bakhtiari said in a released statement. “In light of this dire situation, we are organizing this gathering to peacefully amplify the voices of our oppressed compatriots and share their urgent message with the world.”
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