Rowan University president on U.S.'s war with Iran: "What if this thing goes wrong?"
Nearly three days into Operation Epic Fury, and reaction continues to pour in locally. It's a complex issue with even more complex emotions tied to it.
"Well, I was sitting at home, and I was watching basketball, and my wife, who was with my daughter, sent me a text and said, did you hear?" Rowan University President Ali Houshmand said. "That news was a shock to me, because that's a very, very big event. That's a huge event."
Houshmand spoke with CBS News Philadelphia on Monday, walking through the moments that he learned Iran's supreme leader was killed during Operation Epic Fury over the weekend, a huge event with lasting implications and complicated emotions.
"I'm not a fan of the Iranian government. I consider them as a terrorist government," Houshmand said. "I don't like them, but at the same time, I'm worried about people, I'm worried about the country, I'm worried about both sides."
Houshmand is an Iranian-American living in South Jersey. He still has family members living in Iran, including his nine siblings. He hasn't seen many of them in person in a decade.
"What if this thing goes wrong? What if these things do not end up being, you know, resulting in the plan that they had?" Houshmand said. "And it could create a mess, it caused a lot of refugees, millions of people. It creates hunger and famine."
He added he hasn't been able to get in touch with his family since the conflict escalated.
The South Jersey dad and husband also shared his perspective on the complex geopolitical issues at play, noting oil and gas resources.
"You can see that clearly, the United States is trying to dominate the control of the world energy," Houshmand said. "It started with Venezuela and now with Iran."
Here in Philadelphia, over the weekend, some Iranian-Americans celebrated in the streets.
"My sense is 80% of the Iranians are celebrating, 20% are angry," Houshmand said. "When you see that in the streets of Philadelphia, or New York, or throughout the world, there was a lot of celebration, those are celebrations of anger — revenge — because of the suffering."
Houshmand's main message as the uncertainty of the region remains unclear.
"I hope that the people in here do not go and attack Iranian people, the people who are of Iranian origin, because we are on your side, if anything, in this war, in this fight right now," Houshmand said.
The nonprofit group Philly Iranians took to the streets in Philadelphia on Sunday, celebrating the fall of Iran's supreme leader. Board member Marjam Vafa shares that for her, the conflict isn't a political issue, but rather a human rights issue.
"Iran, I'm not talking about the people, I'm talking about the Islamic regime," Vafa said. "They have been feeding Hamas and all the terrorist groups for years — attacking American allies, Americans all over, Europeans all over the world. So, this attack that happened — it's important because the regime is at the weakest point, and the regime has to go. No more negotiation. The regime has to go. It is important not just for the people of Iran, it is important for the future of our children all over U.S, the whole world."
Vafa hasn't been able to speak with her best friend or family members still in Iran. She encourages everyone in the Philadelphia-area to check on their Iranian American neighbors.
