New Yorkers with loved ones in Iran worried about what comes next after military strikes
With the fate of Iran uncertain after Saturday's strikes by the United States and Israel, the shockwaves are being felt in the Tri-State Area.
It was a stunning day filled with many emotions for locals with family in Iran.
"Where does this go from here?"
Iranian New Yorkers woke up to images of smoke billowing, cars burning and rubble scattered on the streets of Tehran. For the Persian community in New York and New Jersey, the fear is real.
Criminal defense attorney Omid S. Irani's cousins, aunts and uncles are in Iran.
"The connectivity and the ability to connect with them has been very spotty," he said. "You get unverified reports of what's happening. You get trickle information that's coming through."
Irani said he has "a great immense feeling of concern, anxiety, and uncertainty."
"I think the question really is, where does this go from here?" he said.
The strikes hit at 9 a.m. local time, the start of the Iranian workweek.
"The Iranian population is very westernized, very democratic-seeking, very youthful," Irani said, "and the government seems, at every turn, to stand in the way of that and be the antithesis of that."
He added, "I think the question of what happens next and who takes over next is really a question about what the Iranian people in Iran want ... And all we can do is support that and usher in that moment so that hopefully it materializes soon, fast and without additional bloodshed."
"Why does the U.S. have to free the Iranian people?"
Columbia University student Giselle Sami Dalili's aunt lives in Iran.
"The moment I heard the news when I woke up, I put it on and started praying," she said. "I don't find myself a religious person, but it's times like these where you realize you need help."
Dalili is Azeri, part of Iran's largest ethnic minority. She said she doesn't support the regime or the attacks.
"My question is why does the U.S. have to free the Iranian people? Why does Israel have to free the Iranian people?" she said.
"They haven't been able to do it themselves?" CBS News New York's Mahsa Saeidi said.
"We have other neighbors," Dalili said.
She said she has not reached out to her family in Iran because she's worried that will put a target on their back.
"I have a fear of what happens next," Dalili said.
"A war is bad, but the Islamic Republic is worse"
Others, meanwhile, are celebrating and feeling joy.
New York resident Yazz Alizadeh fled Iran decades ago and much of her family still lives there. She said since 1979, the regime has held its people hostage.
"We always say a war is bad, but the Islamic Republic is worse," she said.
With the Persian New Year just weeks away, the Iranian diaspora is now watching and waiting.
