A free Iran is their shared dream. But the diaspora remains torn on the best path forward.
“We are not a monolith,” wrote in a message the Iranian Diaspora Collective, an Instagram account with more than 81,000 followers. “Millions of people will never share the same ideology or identity and this plurality is the strength of any free society. »
Los Angeles-based Pastor Ara Torosian, a Christian who left Iran for the United States in 2010, said it broke his heart to see the destruction of historic sites and the deaths of innocent people, especially young children.
But from his perspective, the pain people now suffer rivals that of generations of dissidents who did not support the regime. Torosian said he was imprisoned and beaten when the Revolutionary Guards found Christian objects in his Tehran home.
Like many, he rejoiced when the supreme leader was killed. “It’s not the happiness you see in the streets,” Torosian said. “We celebrate the hope that this regime will end. »
Although he has a “hateful and loving” view of foreign intervention in his country, he said his disappointment is largely directed at Iranians who totally oppose the strikes.
“We don’t want war, but at the same time, what do we do? We tried to protest the regime and they just killed more people,” he said, referring to this year’s deadly protests in Iran. “War is the only hope for a new Iran. »
Some Iranian-Americans, like New York-based activist and commentator Ariana Jasmine, said they understand the reasoning behind those who support the war. But she feels like a “black sheep” within the Iranian diaspora because she is not for it.
