Celebration and fear: Iranians in Minnesota emotional as U.S. strikes continue

Minnesota's leaders are reacting to the news about the United States and Israel attacking Iran. For Iranians living in Minnesota, the common thread in their response is emotion.

"It was only a matter of when, not what if," said Hamid Kashani.

Kashani woke up to the news about Iran on Saturday.

"You catch your breath and go, 'Here we go. It started. Now what?'" he said. 

But for him, it's his homeland and there are people he loves on the ground there.

"The internet has been cut off. There's no way of communicating with Iran right now," Kashani said.

He's a part of a group called the Minnesota Committee in Support of a Democratic Iran, which posted a statement on Saturday saying the country's people are "united against fascism that rules their country and are striving to establish a democratic government."

Kashani says it's a long, tragic story starting decades ago. 

"It started about 47 years ago in 1979 with the takeover of the current government by the Islamic Republic," Kashani said.

A Hamline University professor says he thinks most Democrats will be against the matter, whereas Rrepublicans will be split, adding that President Trump not consulting with Congress could cause that divide.

"There's going to be some in Congress that say, 'Hey, the president lacks the authority to do what he did.' We're going to see this mostly along a partisan divide, but I'm curious to see whether it divides his base," said David Schultz.

Minnesota Congressman Tom Emmer, a part of that base, posted his support for the president's act online. Gov. Tim Walz simply posted "no new wars."

"The government of Iran doesn't represent Iranian people," said Kashani. "One hand, we're cautiously hopeful the end could bring freedom for our people and on the other hand, we know there will be a lot of bloodshed."

Ali Alizadeh, now living in Excelsior, Minnesota, first left Iran when he was 15. He said he left just months before the Islamic Republic regime took control — a regime that he blames for dragging his country backwards. He said that the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes were cause for celebration. 

"This is a good day," Alizadeh said. "Iranians view this as a rescue operation; they don't view it as a war."  

Alizadeh said that the end of the Islamic Republic's control would pave the way for economic prosperity. He said that in his view, the Iranian people are yearning for a secular society that can engage in global trade. He takes both American and Israeli leadership at their word that they will not dictate the future of the country.

"All these elements are present for Iran to succeed," Alizadeh said. 

He expressed horror after watching thousands of protesters die in Iran in January. 

Katayoun Amjadi, who came to Minnesota from Iran in 2010, also expressed distaste for the Iranian government, but she said war is not the answer. 

Amjadi, who has not heard from her loved ones in Iran since the bombing began, is distraught. 

"You always have a grain of hope that diplomacy might work; we are living in the failure of it," Amjadi said. "I don't understand how bombing and killing and destruction can bring any liberation." 

Amjadi said she doesn't have to look any further than Iraq and other places in the region where American military intervention has created turmoil. 

Protesters in Minneapolis echoed her concerns. A rough count of about 100 people gathered in south Minneapolis to voice frustration with the Trump administration launching another aerial assault on a foreign nation. 

"We're here to say hands off Iran, we don't want to enter another war," Anti-War Committee organizer Lina Gabera said.  

Alizadeh said he understands concerns about warfare in the region; he believes it was necessary to bring about serious change.