Concerns about US involvement
The war has reignited debate in the Iranian diaspora about what role the United States should play in Iran’s future.
For Iranians living in Los Angeles, the issue is more than a distant geopolitical issue.
Many residents explained that their families’ histories have been shaped by U.S. involvement in the region, whether through U.S. support for Iran’s fallen monarchy or the U.S. decision to support Iraq’s invasion of Iran in 1980.
Aida Ashouri, a human rights lawyer running for Los Angeles City Attorney, was among those who publicly condemned the recent U.S. campaign against Iran at a protest at City Hall on February 28th.
“This is a war of American imperialism and we have to make that clear,” she said. “Call a spade a spade. This war is not about liberating Iranian women or Iranian people.”
Ashori was born during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. Her hometown of Isfahan was also bombed last June during the US and Israel’s 12-day war with Iran.
For Ashouri, it signaled that the United States and Israel had once again launched a pre-emptive strike in the current conflict. For many legal experts, the conflict amounted to an unprovoked war of aggression in violation of international law.
“War means both countries are actively involved, but Iran is not doing anything to engage,” Ashouri said.
“This is a unilateral military invasion, an American and Israeli invasion. They are the ones who have the authority to stop the bombing and end this.”
She and other protesters drew similarities between the current Iran war and the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which began in 2003 and 2001, respectively.
“I’ve been living in the shadow of the war on terror, in all the propaganda talk,” said Iranian-American Shani Ebadi, an anti-war activist with the ANSWER coalition. “The Trump administration’s statements are very reminiscent of the Iraq War.”
As someone who closely follows the news, Ebadi remembers feeling anxious when the pre-emptive strikes began in February.
“When I first heard the news of the attack, I felt paralyzed. I felt angry and frustrated,” she said.
Both she and Mr. Ashori said they were concerned that military operations in Iran could spark a regional war and further destabilize not only Iran but the entire Middle East.
“I am concerned that war will repeat the disasters we have seen in Palestine, Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan,” Ashouri said, referring to the countries targeted in the United States’ “war on terror” over the past 25 years.
The question of whether the bomb could clear Iran’s path to freedom is a simple one for Ashouri and his fellow anti-war activists. They say the answer is simply “no.”
