Mix of joy, unease grips Iranian diaspora watching U.S.-Israeli strikes from afar

"It is the best point in our history after 47 years this regime has been in our country. We are waiting for this dark time to pass and the light to come back. Hormoz expressed cautious optimism about the military strikes while acknowledging that immediate liberation remains unlikely and her family continues hiding in Iran."

"They tortured us, they killed us, they imprisoned us. We have been trying to get rid of this regime for 47 years, now with the help of U.S. and Israel, I'm free. Reza Arian articulated the perspective of those celebrating the strikes as a long-awaited opportunity for freedom from decades of oppression."

"Across the United States, Iranian Americans expressed conflicted feelings about the joint U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran. In enclaves from Los Angeles to Chicago, South Texas and New York, they shared joy, frustration, hope, dread and above all concern for relatives still in Iran."

Following an Israeli airstrike that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader since 1989, Iranian Americans across the United States displayed conflicted emotions about the joint U.S.-Israeli military action. While some celebrated in the streets of Los Angeles, Chicago, and other cities with Iranian communities, carrying flags and chanting support, others organized protests expressing concern about escalating conflict and regional instability. Zahra Hormoz, a chemistry professor in Texas, experienced joy at reaching her family in Tehran but remained worried about their safety and the regime's potential retaliation. The community grappled with hope for change after 47 years of Islamic Republic rule, alongside dread about potential consequences and the uncertain path toward liberation.

Read at The Washington Post