For The Iranian Diaspora In Us, Hope For A ‘berlin Wall Moment’

LOS ANGELES — One idea is dominating the group texts, phone calls and social media feeds of those in the heart of Iranian-American diaspora here: This might be the moment they’ve dreamed of for 47 years.

The Los Angeles area is home to more than one-third of the nearly 400,000 Iranian immigrants in the United States. And Tehrangeles, the nickname for the West LA neighborhood that is a hub of Iranian-American businesses and homes, erupted in noisy celebration on Saturday, with some supporters of Donald Trump claiming vindication. The corner in front of the Wilshire Federal Building, a frequent spot for demonstrations, became an impromptu block party, as those gathered blasted music, honked horns, waved the pre-1979 Iranian flag and chanted “Javid Shah,” Farsi for “long live the Shah.”

“This is a Berlin Wall moment, or perhaps even a D-Day type moment,” said Sam Yebri, a Los Angeles attorney who is active in Iranian and Jewish American civic groups. “My phone has been abuzz since 10:16 p.m. last night from Iranian friends and family across the world of all religions and backgrounds and politics, from the far right to the far left. This is the moment that can change the trajectory of Iran, the Middle East and the entire world.”

For many Iranian-Americans, the fall of the Islamic Republic’s regime appears inevitable after the U.S. and Israel launched military strikes across the nation that killed the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to Trump, along with other top security officials.

But amid the euphoria was also consternation among some over the way the strikes were launched without congressional approval — and anxiety the regime could withstand this blow.

Sudi Farokhnia, president of the Iranian American Democrats of California, said that while social media is dominated by pro-war voices, “in closed circles, where people feel safe to express themselves, it's outrage.”

At the rallies she organizes, the chants are in English, she said, and don’t promote any particular transition leader.

“We don’t go there … and scream ‘MIGA’ — Make Iran Great Again — or ‘Pahlavi’ or ‘Long Live the King,” she said. “It gets under my skin … as if MAGA has done such wonders for us in United States that MIGA is supposed to do for Iran.”

California’s elected Democrats, mindful of how widely reviled the Iranian government is among their constituents, had harsh words for the regime even as they condemn Trump’s actions as a unilateral “war of choice.” The balancing act has left Iranian Americans on both sides of the debate unimpressed.

“If a member of Congress's first words out of his or her mouth are not, ‘We stand with the people of Iran for a more peaceful, hopeful future, and that we stand with the brave men and women of the U.S. armed forces who are putting their lives at risk for liberty,’ then that member of Congress is playing politics … at a time when our country should be united,” Yebri said.

Alex Mohajer, a Democratic activist who said he was horrified by the strikes, considered his representatives’ statements to be “toothless.”

“Democrats in Congress have done nothing to stake their claim and pass a war powers resolution,” Mohajer said.

For Republican Iranian Americans, the strikes reinforced their rationale for backing Trump, and they basked in the vindication.

“I was [in] Women for Trump, and Jewish Voices for Trump, and just hearing my Iranian friends trying to get people to vote for Kamala when we knew that this was on the horizon and she would side with the Islamists … for me, this was a moment of redemption as well,” said Sheila Nazarian, a plastic surgeon and political commentator. “Because we were right. Trump is saving the world, period.”

Carmel Lastra, a Republican who works in real estate and tech, said her Democratic friends who had doubted a Trump presidency would benefit Iran now say they were wrong. And she is confident that with Trump in the Oval Office, the fall of the regime is certain.

“Knowing the way Trump is — this is over. I just feel like it’s done. They have no chance at this point,” Lastra said.

The community has felt this hope before. When the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran last year, Yebri had also seen the possibility of a “Berlin Wall moment.” But, he said, his optimism today is fueled by the recent demonstrations inside Iran against the regime, which led to a brutal crackdown by the government. Other Iranian Americans in favor of the strikes said they believed this time will be different.

“Before, it was three provinces [protesting against the regime]. Now it's every province,” Nazarian said. “It was a women's movement. Now it's both sexes. It was a young people movement. Now it's every age. It was poor people because they didn't have water, electricity. Now it's every economic status, because the money is worth nothing.”

But those in the Iranian American Democrats of California group were less certain.

“Right now, the statements from Trump, from Netanyahu, from [son of the former shah] Reza Pahlavi is, ‘We laid the ground for you. Now go and seize the moment and do a regime change,’” Farokhnia said. “As if all the other infrastructures are already in place, as if all the coalition building has been done. It hasn't.”

Mohajer, who is vice president of the group, said killing Khamenei does not guarantee a dismantled Islamic Republic.

“You can't just get rid of one part of the Islamic Republic – even the supreme leader. There will be people there to replace them. There's the IRGC, which is basically a billion-dollar corporation,” he said. “And these safeguards in protecting the regime are implemented into the institution of Iran so I don't think a couple strikes are going to change that.”

But for ecstatic Iranian Americans like Lastra, the news of Khamenei’s death only cemented her joy.

“It’s a good day to be an Iranian!” she said in a text message.