Iranian professor in Colorado reacts to bombings against country, impact on civilians
University of Colorado professor describes what it's like to have family back in Iran
University of Colorado professor describes what it's like to have family back in Iran
University of Colorado professor describes what it's like to have family back in Iran
It's been 20 years since University of Colorado Boulder Professor Shideh Dashti left her hometown in Tehran, a city that sits just north of one of the three Iranian nuclear sites bombed over the weekend by U.S. missiles.
"It's a baggage of mixed emotions," said Dashti. "My father lives in Tehran. Many of my cousins. Most of my family is still in Iran, but I also have a family of 90 million in Iran... they're all at... at great risk right now."
Shideh Dashti
CBS
Amid the United States' recent military involvement in the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel, the Iranian Republic has cut off access to communication for Iranians like Dashti's family. Dashti said that communication has been difficult.
"Is our family okay? Are they safe? Was the explosion near their house, or how are they doing? How are they coping?" said Dashti, "And we cannot reach them."
Dashti was driven to use her engineering background to make a plea for the fighting to stop. Ahead of last week's air attacks, she recorded a YouTube video warning President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu of the impact bombing nuclear facilities in Iran could have on the infrastructure and livelihoods of innocent civilians. She also expressed concerns about radiation and contamination that could follow these attacks.
CBS
"No other country has the intention or the right to determine the fate of another nation," said Dashti.
For Iranians who have lived under the Islamic Republic, they've witnessed everything from massive killings to oppression and imprisonment from that regime. While it might initially feel hopeful to see the Islamic Republic's power weakened through airstrikes like these, Dashti fears the destruction will only get worse.
"As much as I hate the Iranian regime, this is not the way to do it," said Dashti.
While Iranian Americans like Dashti await to see if an apparent ceasefire between Iran and Israel will stick, Dashti hopes for lasting peace in the region and a path for her people to establish a new government on their own.
Shideh Dashti
Shideh Dashti
"I think that job is on us, on Iranians inside and outside. No foreign government has the power or responsibility to create a sustainable and permanent solution that is accepted by the people of Iran," said Dashti. "It's a recipe for disaster."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump Hit By Devastating Intel Leak of Iran Bombing ‘Flop'
U.S. strikes on three key targets in Iran over the weekend did not destroy key components of the country's nuclear program, according to an early Pentagon intelligence assessment. The daring mission to bomb the sites likely only set the program back months, four people briefed on the report told CNN. The intelligence undermines Trump's repeated insistence that the nuclear sites were 'completely and fully obliterated.' The assessment was produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency within the Defense Department and is based on an assessment of battle damage by U.S. Central Command conducted after the strikes, one of the sources told CNN. The assessment found that Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed, two of the people familiar said, and one of the sources said the centrifuges were largely intact. The New York Times citing officials familiar with the assessment also reported that the preliminary findings found the bombings sealed off the entrances to two of the facilities but did not collapse their underground buildings. The assessment also said much of the enriched uranium stockpile was moved in advance, and the strikes destroyed little nuclear material. It comes as top Trump administration officials have touted the success of the strikes late Saturday against Iran's nuclear program but some have been publicly evasive when it comes to details about the extent of the damage or the enriched uranium in the aftermath. The White House on Tuesday directly rejected the early intelligence assessment while acknowledging its existence to CNN. 'This alleged assessment is flat-out wrong and was classified as 'top secret' but was still leaked to CNN by an anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community,' said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. 'The leaking of this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to demean President Trump, and discredit the brave fighter pilots who conducted a perfectly executed mission to obliterate Iran's nuclear program. Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000 pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration,' she continued. Trump's claims that Iran's nuclear program has been 'obliterated' have been repeated by Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. However, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said the morning after the strikes that the assessment would take some time and it was too early to weigh in while touting the operational success of Saturday's daring mission. The new assessment revelations come as Senate and House briefings on Iran were scrapped at the last minute on Tuesday. Democrats blasted the administration for not being more forthcoming with Congress. 'The last minute postponement was just a dereliction of their duty to let the Congress know,' said Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. 'So what's the administration so afraid of that they don't want to brief us? They keep delaying it.' The Senate briefing is rescheduled for Thursday. Schumer said that the excuse for postponing was so that Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who are with Trump at the NATO summit, could be there, but neither were originally scheduled to attend anyway. 'Hegseth and even Rubio will give us a lot of happy talk but not the sinew, the details that we need,' Schumer said. He argued those who were supposed to brief the Senate on Tuesday would have given them the details they needed. 'Is it in fact the case that Iran's nuclear program has been completely and totally obliterated?' asked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. 'There are apparently reasons to believe that that was a blatant misrepresentation made by Donald Trump to the American people,' he continued. Jeffries blasted the House briefing being postponed. He also noted that there has not even been a briefing with the so-called Gang of Eight, which includes the eight congressional leaders briefed on intelligence matters. When asked if he was confident that Iran's nuclear facilities had been obliterated, Senate Majority Leader John Thune sidestepped the question and said they know the nuclear program had been setback 'considerably.'
CNN
22 minutes ago
- CNN
Israeli Assessment: U.S. Strikes Damaged Ford Less Than Expected - Anderson Cooper 360 - Podcast on CNN Podcasts
Israeli Assessment: U.S. Strikes Damaged Ford Less Than Expected Anderson Cooper 360 49 mins New reporting on how much damage American airstrikes did, or did not do, to Iran's nuclear program. CNN has learned that a preliminary assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency suggests it may be far less than the President and others said it was immediately after the attack. Plus, the work toward a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas. Anderson speaks to Rachel Golberg and Jon Polin, whose son Hersh was taken hostage on October 7th and executed by Hamas.
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ceasefire holds amid reports of limited damage to Iran nuclear plans
A fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel appeared to be holding in the 24 hours following US President Donald Trump's announcement of a truce, as media reported that US attacks in Iran have only set back Tehran's nuclear programme by a few months. An initial intelligence evaluation suggests that the weekend's US bombardment failed to destroy Iran's underground nuclear facilities, the New York Times, the Washington Post and CNN reported on Tuesday. The media outlets cited officials familiar with the military intelligence report from the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). Trump claimed that the US attacks at the weekend destroyed Iran's nuclear facilities in Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow and described the strikes as a death blow to Iran's nuclear programme. That attack came after Israel launched large-scale attacks on Iranian targets on June 13, saying it aims to prevent the country from building a nuclear weapon, a charge Tehran has consistently denied. Iran retaliated with waves of missile and drone strikes on Israel. There have been deaths and casualties on both sides. Not a major setback The DIA report said only the entrances to the deeply buried facility in Fordow were destroyed, while the underground structures themselves remained intact, according to US media. The five-page report also suggests that Iran had already moved its stockpile of enriched uranium to other locations before the attacks, the newspapers reported. CNN reported that the attack had set back Iran's nuclear programme "by only a few months at most." The New York Times estimated the delay to be less than six months, while the Post said the delay was "by only a number of months." White House condemns reported assessement White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, in a post on X, criticized the publication of the report, which she said was leaked to CNN by a "low-level loser in the intelligence community." Leavitt called the assessment "flat-out wrong" and said the leak was designed to "demean President Trump and discredit" the military pilots who "conducted a perfectly executed mission to obliterate Iran's nuclear program." "Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000 pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration." Iran wants to return to normalcy In Tehran, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed a return to normal life for his country, declaring in a televised address on Tuesday evening an end to the 12-day war. Pezeshkian described the conflict as a "terrorist attack" that came while Iran was seeking diplomatic dialogue with the United States. "The enemies violated their commitments and launched an attack during negotiations — a betrayal that history will not forget," he said. Willingness to resume nuclear talks In a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Pezeshkian expressed Iran's readiness to resolve differences with the US "within the framework of international norms," signalling openness to a resumption of nuclear negotiations, according to the presidential office. He also welcomed the support of regional partners, including Oman, which recently mediated nuclear discussions between Tehran and Washington. Qatar also played a role in brokering the ceasefire, acting at the request of the US. However Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has reaffirmed Iran's intention to continue its nuclear programme. Israel not done? Despite Trump's ceasefire announcement, Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir stressed that the campaign against arch-rival Iran was not over. "We have concluded a significant phase, but the campaign against Iran is not over," Zamir said in a statement on Tuesday, without elaborating on future plans. He added that the Israeli military was now entering a "new phase" concentrated on Gaza, where Israel has been fighting the Palestinian militant group Hamas for 20 months. "Now the focus shifts back to Gaza — to bring the hostages home and to dismantle the Hamas regime," he said. Zamir also claimed that Israel's air campaign had significantly damaged Iran's military capabilities: "We've set Iran's nuclear project back by years, and the same applies to its missile programme." These assertions could not be independently verified. Netanyahu threatens Iran with retaliation As midnight was nearing in the Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a renewed threat to Iran, saying if it moved to restore its nuclear programme, Israel would repeat its recent actions against the Islamic Republic. Should Iran attempt to restore it, Israel "will act with the same determination and the same force to cut off any such attempt," Netanyahu said in an address on Tuesday. After the ceasefire was announced, Trump fumed as the two sides traded accusations of further attacks being carried out, telling reporters gathered outside the White House: "We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the fuck they're doing." A short time later he posted on his Truth Social platform: "ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly 'Plane Wave' to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect!" He said Israel had achieved "a historic victory" and destroyed Iran's nuclear programme. IAEA wants inspections asap To verify all this, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Tuesday called for nuclear inspections in Iran and said he's written to Araghchi about this. IAEA inspectors remained in Iran throughout the conflict and are ready to return to the country's nuclear facilities to verify its stockpiles of nuclear material, according to the statement. These include more than 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%, which is close to weapons-grade level.
