Iranian Diaspora in US Expresses Devastation Over Regime's Protest Crackdown
Recent protests in Iran have sparked the most serious and deadly unrest the country has witnessed since the 1979 revolution, drawing global attention to the escalating crisis in the Middle East. The Guardian has spoken to Iranians living outside their homeland, particularly in the United States, to gather their perspectives on the current situation and the potential for international intervention.
Living in Constant Anxiety and Helplessness
Hundreds of Iranians based in the US have described living in a perpetual state of anxiety and helplessness, consumed by fear for loved ones back home. This distress is exacerbated by internet blackouts that have severed communication lines, leaving many in the dark about the safety of family and friends.
Mahnaz, 36, articulated the anguish felt by many: "No one should have to wake up every day wondering whether their loved ones have been executed, imprisoned, or killed in the streets simply for demanding dignity and freedom. The scale of these atrocities demands more than statements of concern."
Fereshteh, 45, a lab scientist, labelled the past weeks as "emotionally devastating". She explained: "Even from far away, the fear never stops. Many days I wake up terrified to check my phone, afraid of seeing bad news or learning that someone I love has been arrested, injured, or killed." Fereshteh added that many Iranians she speaks with "believe that peaceful protests alone are no longer enough".
Calls for International Intervention Grow Louder
Many respondents expressed a belief that some form of international intervention in Iran has become necessary, given the regime's violent response to demonstrations.
Fereshteh continued: "The regime has shown that it will respond only with bullets, prisons, and executions. In this situation, international military intervention may be the only realistic way to stop the killing and dismantle this system of repression. If intervention can end this dictatorship and give people a chance to live freely, many of us believe it is a price worth paying."
Ellie, 33, described feeling "an intense sense of survivor's guilt" being in the US and is "emotionally paralysed and often speechless" by the news from Iran. She warned: "A regime that suppresses its own people through violence, fear, and isolation does not remain a local problem. It destabilises regions, fuels extremism, drives forced migration, and normalises brutality. Ignoring this does not create peace – it postpones a larger crisis."
Luna Houshmand, a software engineer in her 30s, stated: "I believe words and sanctions have failed for decades. If they worked, this regime would not still be killing people in the streets. If the world truly believes in human rights, it must move beyond statements and take real action."
Mixed Views on the Nature of Intervention
While support for action is widespread, opinions on the form it should take vary significantly among the Iranian diaspora.
A woman in New York, who requested anonymity, revealed that her family in Iran told her people feel "desperate and helpless, and their only hope is foreign assistance". She noted: "President Trump promised the people of Iran that he would come to save them, and the people have counted on that promise. Our only concern right now is that he may not follow through."
Maryam Tehrani, in Seattle, argued that Iranians need "not empty statements, but meaningful pressure on the Islamic Republic". She elaborated: "Sanctions targeting officials, international isolation, and real accountability matter. Military intervention is complicated and risky, but indifference is not an option. The priority should be protecting civilians and supporting the Iranian people's right to decide their own future without repression."
Sahar Haddadian, a 36-year-old civil engineer in Florida, observed: "No one wants war or foreign intervention or to see innocent lives lost, but history has shown that some regimes leave the world with no good options – only difficult ones. You cannot negotiate with a regime that rules through terror." Haddadian emphasised that "dialogue, appeasement, and empty diplomacy have failed" and called for the US to "make it clear that it stands with the Iranian people" through tangible consequences for regime leaders.
Internal Conflict and Moral Dilemmas
Some Iranians expressed deep internal conflict regarding the prospect of US involvement, torn between their principles and the desperate situation on the ground.
Ellie, 42, in Colorado, said: "While I am strongly against war, the situation in Iran has reached a point where people are being killed for demanding basic rights. Without some form of international intervention, whether political, diplomatic, economic, or strategic pressure, it is difficult to see how this regime can be stopped." She added that she would welcome "meaningful, non‑military action" from world leaders.
An Iranian in California, who also wished to remain anonymous, confessed to long opposing "foreign military intervention in Iran" and distrusting US intentions, but now feels torn. They shared: "We are now at such a deadlock that I honestly don't know what to feel anymore. When a regime responds to peaceful protests with mass bloodshed, when civilians are gunned down and hospitals overflow with the injured, it forces people like me into impossible moral contradictions. I find myself torn between my long-held beliefs and the sheer desperation of watching my people slaughtered with no protection and no voice."
Tara, a 36-year-old engineer, described herself as "deeply conflicted" about US intervention. She admitted: "I can't predict what would happen to my family, and I fear that any intervention could lead to more death and devastation. At the same time, I see no clear alternative for ending the Islamic regime's grip on power. I wish there were a way to remove those responsible without harming ordinary people or destroying our beautiful country. I'm worried this could turn into a never-ending war."
The voices from the Iranian diaspora in the US paint a picture of a community grappling with profound emotional turmoil, united in their condemnation of the regime's brutality but divided on the path forward to secure freedom and safety for those in Iran.
