A California Iranian American couple is calling off anti-war protests in the US
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When an Iranian American husband and wife see protests against the war with Iran in the United States, they shudder, remembering living and being raised under a regime that “controlled” their young lives.
Since its inception, Operation Epic Fury has drawn the attention of the American public, fueling anti-war protests across the country.
Behzad Hemmati and Rahil Nazarian both had the opportunity to come to America from Iran when they were young.
Decades later, Hemmati, 50, and Nazarian, 42, told Fox News Digital that they watched the situation unfold from their new home in Southern California, and for them, the conflict is not a war, “a rescue mission.”
Born under the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Hemmati recalls being too young to experience “good things” before the 1979 Islamic Revolution overthrew Pahlavi rule.
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Smoke and flames are seen after US and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian military bases. (Sasan Images / Middle East / AFP via Getty Images)
“I came here [just because of] my natural personality, I could not tolerate those things [were] what is happening [in Iran]Hemmati said.
He recalled his youth and said, “You want to be yourself, be free,” but shared that what Western culture considers a “normal” youth life, was not allowed in Iran.
“You want to dance, you want to hang out with your friends, but we couldn’t … girls and boys [are] always break up,” explained Hemmati. “Here’s the way [the government] control[s] you, here is the way [they] break you to pieces and take that good life you can have [and] take it from you.”
Nazarian was born during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. His father was a teacher and after the Islamic Revolution, he explained that the Islamic Republic took over his family’s home, their land and his father could not work.
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A protester shouts anti-war slogans while taking part in a demonstration near the White House, Feb. 28, Washington, DC (Probal Rashid/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“After that [Ayatollah Ruhollah] Khomeini came and took it, they shot [my father] because they said to him, ‘You are working in the Shah’s time, you don’t deserve this,'” said Nazarian.
The kingdom of murder
Still sad, he remembered his father being taken back between the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) camps until one day he did not return.
“They were killing most of his family members,” Nazarian said.
“One day he left, and they told him, ‘Oh, we have a plan for you, we’re going to give you back everything we took, we’re going to give it back to you,'” Nazarian recalled. “He left home [that day]he didn’t come back.”
Since the first strikes of Operation Epic Fury that began in the morning of February 28, the conflict has greatly affected the American public, leading to a backlash against the Trump administration.
Still, when Hemmati and Nazarian saw protests against the military’s actions, Hemmati told Fox News Digital they “don’t understand.”
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People march in a rally against the Iranian government in Los Angeles. (Jonathan Alcorn/AFP via Getty Images)
“People should understand [here],they don’t understand” “people walk on the street and say no to war, I can tell you they are 100% ignorant.”
The project also received support from many in the Iranian American community.
Hemmati said that protests in favor of the American war in the country have erupted around Southern California, and that he attends the event almost every weekend. He says this is a way for people to be a voice for the people of Iran who are involved in this project.
“[Iranian’s] inside Iran they want to show the world – obviously they can’t do anything because everything is cut off in Iran – but that’s why we will be their voice,” said Hemmati.
Family in Iran
Nazarian and Hemmati said they have spoken to relatives still living in Iran and despite the frequent bombings near their homes, they are “happy that this is happening.”
“No matter what happens, even if we lose our house, even if the whole house is destroyed, as long as we are still alive to fight, we are thankful and happy,” said Hemmati.
“They were thanking the President [Donald] Trump said, well, we have to pay the price for freedom,” Nazarian continued.
Hemmati said that by targeting specific areas of the IRGC the operation “cuts across the lines of the state.”
“They are looking at those very special areas of their government,” said Hemmati. “Once they’re done, it’s time for people to get out.”
If they can, Nazarian and Hemmati said they will be on the first flight to Iran to see family for a long overdue visit.
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“[Our] children they are thirsty to see their cousin, their family, because I have no family [in the US],” said Nazarian. “I haven’t seen them in nine years [and Hemmati] it’s not 19 years anymore.”
“[This] that’s what I’ve been waiting for [for 47 years],” said Hemmati. “Unfortunately, we will lose some lives in this rescue mission … but also, people are saying inside Iran, they are saying, ‘How many are we going to lose? … We are ready to make sacrifices and come [freedom].'”
