After Initial Jubilation, Some Iranian Americans Fear A Quagmire

Software technologist Arin Saghatelian shed nary tears erstwhile he heard that nan ultimate leader of his autochthonal onshore had been killed by American bombs.

“I don’t deliberation you’re going to find galore group successful support of that dictatorship aliases nan mullahs that are successful powerfulness correct now,” said Saghatelian, who lives successful La Crescenta and fled Iran pinch his family erstwhile he was 10. “I deliberation nan world is simply a amended spot today.”

But nan fleeting alleviation that Saghatelian, 45, felt past week arsenic an exile from Iran quickly turned to nan dread he feels arsenic an American national and taxpayer: What if his adopted state gets sucked into different long, deadly and costly conflict for illustration nan warfare successful Iraq?

After nan first jubilation successful “Tehrangeles” and different section Iranian American communities, pinch thousands taking to nan streets to observe nan decease of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, nan reside of immoderate conversations this week grew much sober.

Customers beryllium astatine Sipp Coffee House crossed nan thoroughfare from Tochal Market and Damoka rug shop connected Westwood Boulevard successful Los Angeles connected Friday.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

As Iranian Americans for illustration Saghatelian watch nan rapid escalation of nan warfare that began pinch U.S. and Israeli bombs falling connected Iran, immoderate fearfulness that their autochthonal country, and possibly the full Middle East, could descend into chaos.

In Iraq, aft a U.S. penetration toppled dictator Saddam Hussein successful 2003, sectarian leaders stepped into nan vacuum. The long-simmering rivalry betwixt Sunni and Shiite Muslims erupted into a civilian warfare that killed tens of thousands of civilians.

Roozbeh Farahanipour, a erstwhile Iranian dissident who now lives successful Los Angeles, worries that a destabilized Iran, pinch its analyzable taste practice and patchwork of taste and belief groups, could devolve into a acold worse messiness than post-invasion Iraq.

“It’s much analyzable ethnically, civically and historically,” truthful a prolonged warfare location “is not going to beryllium for illustration Iraq — it’s going to beryllium 10 times worse,” he said.

Of nan 600,000 aliases truthful Iranians surviving successful nan U.S., astir half are successful California, according to nan Iranian Diaspora Dashboard produced by UCLA’s Center of Near Eastern Studies. By acold nan biggest surge successful migration followed nan 1979 Islamic Revolution that sent nan U.S.-backed shah into exile and swept belief hard-liners into power.

Religious minorities, including Christians and Jews, dress up a larger stock of nan expatriate organization successful nan U.S. than they do successful Iran — they person much logic to time off — but Islam is still nan ascendant belief among Iranians here, said Kevan Harris, an subordinate professor of sociology who teaches courses connected Iran and Middle East authorities astatine nan UCLA International Institute.

Those who fled nan revolution, and nan hard-line Islamic norm that followed, often see themselves exiles from their location country. But nan travel of migrants has remained truthful dependable that half of nan Iranian-born group successful nan U.S. arrived aft 1994, Harris said.

The authorities of younger Iranian immigrants, who travel to nan U.S. for each kinds of reasons, and devour nan afloat scope of contented disposable online, are much divers than those of their older compatriots.

Pro-Palestine protesters clasp a rally successful beforehand of field constabulary astatine UCLA connected March 11, 2025.

(Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)

For example, nan UCLA students protesting Israel’s warfare successful Gaza past twelvemonth group up their encampment not acold from Harris’ agency window. He recognized immoderate Iranian American students wrong nan makeshift compound, while others lined up extracurricular pinch counterprotesters.

“There are capable Iranians successful nan U.S. now, particularly successful L.A., that you will find them connected each broadside of astir conflicts,” Harris said.

Saghatelian, nan package engineer, fled aft years of warfare that began pinch Iraq’s penetration of Iran successful 1980 and took nan lives of astir a cardinal people. His parents wanted to make judge that he and his older relative would ne'er get sucked into specified slaughter.

As a kid, Saghatelian was forced to fly his Tehran vicinity during Iraqi bombardments.

“So I had real, individual liking successful seeing Saddam fall,” he said.

But he besides remembers nan nightmare that followed. All nan subject and civilian deaths, each nan costs to U.S. taxpayers.

“As an American citizen, I interest astir that happening again,” he said.

And he worries that his American-born friends, who person enjoyed comparatively serene lives, don’t recognize really quickly things tin descent into catastrophe.

As Christian Armenians, his family had it beautiful bully nether nan shah of Iran, Saghatelian said, and didn’t suffer that overmuch successful nan contiguous aftermath of nan 1979 Islamic Revolution.

“As nan belief mullahs came to power, they still respected nan Armenian community. We sewage to support our churches,” Saghatelian said. “But each year, location was much and much pressure. You’re almost for illustration a second-class citizen.”

Other taste minorities had it worse, Saghatelian said: “If you were Jewish, nan much hard-line nan state got, nan much threat you were in.”

After fleeing Iran, Saghatelian’s family spent 2 years successful exile camps successful Germany and Austria. At 1 point, they were kicked retired of nan Austrian exile programme and became bum until a Catholic leader took them successful and made them caretakers of a medieval church.

But for illustration truthful galore others fleeing Iran, his family’s scheme was to find a measurement to nan United States, which they yet did, settling successful Glendale erstwhile he was 12.

Since then, he has focused connected building his life here, pinch nary existent desire to return. But he has kept an oculus connected conditions successful his autochthonal state complete nan years, and his mother stays successful touch pinch an uncle who is still there.

“It’s a beautiful country. I would emotion to beryllium capable to sojourn freely arsenic a United States citizen,” he said.

“Regime Change successful Iran” signs and photos of Reza Pahlavi, nan exiled boy of Iran’s past shah, tin beryllium seen successful tons of shop windows connected Westwood Boulevard arsenic organization members and business owners respond to nan U.S. and Israel bombing Iran..

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

But he doesn’t deliberation nan Iranian authorities will springiness up without a agelong fight, nor does he judge nan Trump management has a semipermanent plan.

Farahanipour, 54, besides considers himself an exile. In nan summertime of 1999, he was a 27-year-old journalist successful Tehran who became a recognizable fig successful a student protestation activity that called for a free press, nan extremity of authorities censorship and adjacent authorities for women. Some, including him, publically called for Khamenei to resign — which was unthinkable astatine nan time, Farahanipour said.

In response, nan authorities unopen down a well-known reformist newspaper, sent information forces into a assemblage dormitory and hit and jailed students who participated successful nationalist demonstrations.

On July 12, 1999, Khamenei took to nan nationalist airwaves and called nan students “rioters” and pawns of overseas enemies. Far from being discouraged, Farahanipour said, he was successful awe. Forcing Khamenei to respond was “the proudest infinitesimal of my life,” he said, smiling astatine nan memory.

But he didn’t person overmuch clip to bask successful nan glory.

“I received a decease condemnation from nan regime,” he said, arsenic calmly arsenic others mightiness opportunity they sewage a parking ticket. Then came 3 fatwas — belief decrees — calling for his death, he said.

That was aft years of seeing family members and acquaintances get “arrested, tortured and executed” by nan government.

“They hated maine and I hated them. It was a two-way street,” he said, which near him pinch only 1 choice: seeking asylum successful nan United States.

Roozbeh Farahanipour, proprietor of Delphi Greek edifice successful Westwood, stands for a image arsenic organization members and business owners successful nan organization respond to nan of bombing of Iran.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

He has lived successful Los Angeles since 2000, opening a mates of restaurants. In 2017, he became an American citizen, arriving astatine that momentous determination while stepping successful a Westwood cemetery.

“This will beryllium my last address,” he thought.

Still, he could not look distant from nan news earlier this twelvemonth erstwhile a illness of nan Iranian rate drove group into nan streets, sparking a sadistic authorities crackdown that killed thousands of protesters.

When Farahanipour heard astir Khamenei’s death, he popped nan cork from a champagne vessel and celebrated “the happiest infinitesimal of my life.”

But for illustration Saghatelian, he soon began reasoning of Iraq.

Shortly aft nan illness of Hussein’s ruling party, crowds looted authorities offices and taste sites. Heavy infrastructure harm from nan U.S. bombing led to chronic and changeless nonaccomplishment of nan electrical and h2o systems successful awesome cities — making them almost unlivable, particularly successful nan sweltering summers.

At nan tallness of nan sectarian war, parts of Baghdad were truthful riddled pinch impromptu militia checkpoints that galore Iraqis started carrying 2 official-looking IDs — 1 genuine and nan different a forgery pinch a past sanction and birthplace associated pinch nan different sect.

Choosing which to present, particularly successful heavy contested neighborhoods, was for illustration tossing a coin pinch your life successful nan balance.

“We don’t person a bully way record,” Faranhipour said. “How galore American lives did we discarded successful Afghanistan? How overmuch money did we discarded complete location conscionable to switch nan Taliban pinch nan Taliban?”

He’s praying nan United States won’t get bogged down again.

“Hopefully nan president and his squad cognize what they’re doing,” he said. “They should state triumph and withdraw.”