In Los Angeles' Little Persia, US strikes on Iran met with both celebration and angst
A sign calling for the overthrow of the Islamic government in Iran is placed behind glass in a bookstore in an Iranian-American area of Los Angeles. PHOTO: REUTERS
In Los Angeles' Little Persia, US strikes on Iran met with both celebration and angst
In the cafes and restaurants of Little Persia, a Los Angeles enclave of about half a million Iranian-Americans, hatred for Iran's Islamic government is red hot and widely felt.
What's less agreed upon is whether American and Israeli forces should have launched strikes on nuclear and military facilities in Iran, including the dropping of 30,000-pound US bunker-busting bombs ordered by President Donald Trump on J une 21 .
Within this huge Iranian diaspora in western Los Angeles, the largest Persian community outside Iran, Iranian Jews interviewed by Reuters said they are all in on Israeli and US bombing raids, and want to see more.
Iranian Muslims in the area - also called Little Tehran or Tehrangeles - were more ambivalent, with many suspicious of Israel and wary of America getting embroiled in another Middle Eastern conflict.
Most of the two dozen people who spoke to Reuters did not want their full names published or their pictures taken, such is their fear of the Islamic Republic led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. All still have relatives there.
Reza , a 38-year-old college professor who left Iran 15 years ago, says he received a call from an Iranian official in 2024 from his sister's mobile phone. He was told that if he did not stop publishing anti-Islamic Republic posts on his social media accounts, his sister could be in danger.
'It's a very sensitive topic. I am definitely happy Israel and the US are destroying their nuclear program. I don't trust the Iranian regime having access to nuclear technology,' said Reza, an Iranian Muslim.
'But I'm also sad for my family there. The people are suffering. It's a very scary time. And I do not like the US getting involved in another war.'
Three blocks away, outside a Starbucks coffee shop, seven men, mostly Iranian Jews, were discussing the war between Israel and Iran, now in its second week, and the bombing of three nuclear sites by the US on June 21.
The world braced on June 22 for Iran's response after the US joined Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution.
Outside the Starbucks, the mood was celebratory.
'This regime should not exist anymore, they torture their own people, they put their own people in prison. These mullahs are causing problems all across the Middle East and the world,' said Shawn, 72, a mortgage broker.
Iran has so far not followed through on its threats of retaliation against the United States and has said it will consider all possible responses. Iran says its nuclear ambitions are peaceful and its UN Ambassador has accused Israel and the US of destroying diplomacy.
Sol, 58, who left Iran in 1983 and has relatives in Iran and Israel, said the group outside Starbucks had been celebrating since Israel began striking Iran earlier in June .
'Israel is doing a very good job. God Bless them,' he said. 'We want those mullahs out!'
Roozbeh, 48, a mechanical engineer who left Iran in 2007, said he was worried about his parents and two brothers still in Iran and had just spoken to them.
'They are in the north. Israel bombed it for the first time yesterday,' he said. 'I hope the Israeli military action will bring down the regime, of course.'
Younger Iranian-Americans also expressed their hatred for the Islamic Republic - but were far more sceptical about Israeli and US strikes on the country.
Raha, 33, was born in the US Her parents fled Iran during the 1979 revolution, which led to the overthrow of the US-backed government and the creation of the Islamic Republic.
Raha has visited relatives in Iran about 10 times. On one visit she says she had an encounter with the 'morality police,' because her hijab headdress had slipped.
She recalled the 2022 death of Ms Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian who died in a hospital in Tehran, the Iranian capital, after being arrested for not wearing her hijab in accordance with the Islamic government's standards.
Raha said she and her friends celebrated when an Israeli strike killed the head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps i n June . 'That's a good thing. We want them all down,' Raha said. 'I absolutely want to see the regime in Iran fall.' REUTERS
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CNA
26 minutes ago
- CNA
Commentary: Iran has no good choices to respond to US strikes – only the best of bad options
SINGAPORE: In the end, it was the American president who appeared to be the most dead set against 'stupid, endless wars' in the Middle East that sent the nation's military back into the region in a purely offensive manner. Although expectations were raised that the United States could act against Iran, the attacks early on Sunday (Jun 22) were a surprise – at least in terms of timing. Donald Trump gave Iran two weeks to come to a decision on whether it wanted to return to the negotiating table. Instead, he took all of two days to strike. Whether the two-week window was a ruse, or whether the US leader had gained new intelligence about Iran's unwillingness to negotiate – or even whether Mr Trump had already decided to attack when he set the deadline – will likely be unknown for some time, if ever. Another big unknown is how successful the American attacks were in setting back Iran's nuclear programme. Mr Trump claimed that Iran's nuclear facilities had been 'completely and totally obliterated'. But the press conference on Sunday night by the Pentagon provided neither detailed battle damage assessments nor satellite imagery that could shed light on the success of Operation Midnight Hammer beyond the superlatives employed by Mr Trump. Details will surely be clearer to the White House, but whether the message has been received by Tehran remains an open question. IRAN HAS NO GOOD CHOICES Perhaps what was most significant about the president's remarks was what was not explicitly stated: The US action was intended as a one-time effort, and whether it stays that way is up to the leadership of the Islamic Republic. That, of course, hinges on two things: Whether the bomb and missile strikes were as effective as claimed, and how Iran will respond to them. On the former, a successful mission is a preferable outcome: It increases the chances that calm will return sooner, rather than later – because Iran has no good choices. If, as threatened, it decides that the only way forward for it is to exit the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and take its programme underground, this will likely invite more American, and Israeli, action as they seek to exploit a moment of extraordinary Iranian weakness and vulnerability. This is a trail that has been blazed by North Korea, which is now estimated to have about 60 nuclear weapons. Washington will have no doubt learned lessons from its failure to keep Pyongyang from breaking out. Then again, the kinetic options that were available to the US in Iran were never really on the table in the case of North Korea, despite threats from a succession of US presidents – Mr Trump himself warned of 'fire and fury like the world has never seen'. The risks of a dramatic escalation, geopolitical uncertainty and lack of solid intelligence were among the reasons the US did not draw a firm line in the sand, and allowed North Korea to call its bluff. When it comes to Iran, the line has been drawn, and the consequences for crossing it have been clearly spelled out. DOING NOTHING WOULD BE CAPITULATION As Mr Trump put it, there will either be peace or tragedy for Iran, and the choice is theirs. Beyond the missile salvo it launched on Israel hours after the US strikes, Iran could hit American bases and the 40,000 troops in the Middle East as retaliation. It could also lash out by attempting to close the Strait of Hormuz, crippling oil supplies and attack Gulf Arab states, as it has done in the past. It could also resort to cyberattacks, or terrorist actions against US and Israeli interests around the world. But that is inviting further trouble on itself. The US attacks on Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, Mr Trump claimed, were the 'most difficult' for the military to carry out, and that future ones would be 'a lot easier'. For good measure, he added a footnote: 'Remember, there are many targets left.' In its current weakened and exposed state, any action Iran takes to widen the conflict will make its position even more precarious. That said, Iran cannot be expected to do nothing. Standing idly by would be tantamount to announcing its humiliating capitulation to the world. For the regime, much worse could follow: Doing nothing would validate an idea that many Iranians themselves believe – that their leaders have led them down a reckless path that has brought them economic misery, international opprobrium and isolation from the world. Iranians are a proud people and will rally around the flag in the face of severe attacks, setting aside political and ideological differences despite all their misgivings. An unconditional surrender, however, will force them to look inward at the choices that brought them here, and begin a reckoning against the clerical regime. WHAT'S THE BEST OF BAD OPTIONS? That leaves Iran the best of bad options – one it has taken before. In 2020, during Mr Trump's first term, it took five days after the US assassination of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leader Qassem Soleimani before Iran retaliated. It fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles at US bases in Iraq. Before it pressed the trigger, however, Tehran telegraphed the attacks, allowing Americans to seek safety. This prevented US fatalities, although more than 100 troops suffered traumatic brain injuries. This would appear to be the best course forward. Iran can claim retaliation in force, both sides can then put a lid on this episode and then sit down to work out a lasting solution. An agreement on the terms of Iran's surrendering of its nuclear ambitions – without ever using that word – may then be worked out, allowing all sides to claim some wins, and climb down from the escalatory ladder. Then again, in the Middle East, there are exceedingly few who have been accused of being rational actors.
AsiaOne
31 minutes ago
- AsiaOne
Iran must not take destabilising action, European leaders say, World News
FRANKFURT — The leaders of Britain, France and Germany on Sunday (June 22) urged Iran not to take any actions that would further destabilise the region following US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities overnight. "We have consistently been clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon and can no longer pose a threat to regional security," the government heads of Germany, Britain, France, known as the E3, said in a joint statement. "We call upon Iran to engage in negotiations leading to an agreement that addresses all concerns associated with its nuclear programme. We stand ready to contribute to that goal in coordination with all parties." The E3 also confirmed their support for the security of Israel, the statement said. US forces struck Iran's three main nuclear sites, President Donald Trump said late on Saturday, warning Tehran it would face more devastating attacks if it does not agree to peace. "We will continue our joint diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions and ensure the conflict does not intensify and spread further," the E3 statement said. [[nid:719363]]
AsiaOne
an hour ago
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UN Security Council meets on Iran as Russia, China push for a ceasefire, World News
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