Hundreds of Iranian Americans gathered in Los Angeles on Saturday to express their support for recent attacks targeting Iran’s ruling regime, a week after a US-Israeli airstrike killed the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The demonstrators said this moment could represent a turning point for the Iranian people and an opportunity to end the Islamic Republic’s grip on power.
A march calling for democracy in Iran
The demonstrators gathered near the federal building in Westwood, chanting slogans demanding the return of democracy to Tehran. Many of them waved Iranian flags and spoke stories of exile, saying their families fled the country after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.Many protesters rejected the idea that the current military strikes amounted to war, instead describing the situation as an opportunity to dismantle the ruling regime.
“It’s not a war. It’s a rescue mission,” one protester was quoted as saying by the New York Post, echoing sentiments expressed by many people at the march.
Some protesters praise Trump and Netanyahu
A number of participants expressed their support for US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying they believe that measures taken against the Iranian leadership could help liberate the country from authoritarian rule.Mars, who was born in Shiraz and still has relatives in Iran, told reporters that many Iranians consider Trump a “hero.”
“Iranians will remember him the way the Jewish people remember Cyrus the Great,” he said, referring to the ancient Persian ruler known for freeing Jews from Babylonian captivity.Another protester, Shahrukh, who was born in Tehran and still has family there, said he was grateful for the actions taken by the United States and Israel.“We are very grateful,” he said.
Criticism of American Democrats
Some protesters also criticized Democratic leaders in the United States for opposing regime change in Iran.
Nazanin Jalalian, who now lives in Los Angeles with her mother after leaving Iran, urged American politicians to better understand the realities of life under the regime.In response to comments opposing regime change, she said: “Try to live in Iran. Try to go to Iran.”Others at the gathering argued that politicians who oppose intervention cannot claim to defend human rights if they ignore conditions in Iran.
Stories of exile and life under the regime
Many protesters said their families left Iran decades ago, but they still feel a deep connection to the country’s future.
Amin, who was born in Tehran and whose parents still live there, said the demonstrations reflect hope for change.“They stole our country 47 years ago,” he said. “We had to move to the United States as refugees.”Benjamin Basr, an Iranian-Jewish immigrant whose relatives still live in Iran, described growing up under the regime as frightening.“How do I describe the environment in Iran? It’s just like the Nazi regime,” he said, recalling how his grandmother worried about whether neighbors would hide if authorities targeted their families.
The community says the voices are often ignored
Some participants said they feel ignored by American politicians despite the large Iranian American population in Southern California.Basri said many in the community want their views to be heard when American leaders discuss policy toward Iran.“More than 700,000 Iranians live in Southern California alone,” he said. “They didn’t bother to ask how we felt.”For many at the rally, the rally was not just about politics, but about expressing hope that change might finally come to Iran.