Local residents with connections to Iran and Israel express a mix of apprehension and expectations as the conflict unfolds, sharing their hopes and concerns.
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Locals with family ties to Iran and Israel are keeping their feet on the ground, nervously optimistic as the latest skirmish takes a breather. Started with Israel offloading missiles onto Iran on June 13, this 12-day war has left its mark on both countries. The Iranian Health Ministry reports a crispy 627 Iranians were high-and-gone, while the Israeli death toll, according to their officials, stands at a tidy 28.
Once the U.S. jumped into the fray by bombarding Iranian nuclear sites on June 21, it was game on. Iran decided to play hardball, launching missiles to pound a U.S. airbase in Qatar, but most of 'em got smacked down, no casualties reported.
Iran's top-dog Ayatollah Ali Khamenei finally popped off on Thursday, after staying silent for days, calling the U.S. bombing a "sucker punch."
A protest's coming up this Saturday as they expect "hundreds" of folks to rally at City Hall in Center City Philly.
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Philadelphia Natives of Iranian Extraction Sweat the Conflict's Impact on Average Joes and Prisoners Back Home
Sanaz Yaghmai, a Gulfaby born with Iranian roots and president of the ruckus-raising Philly Iranians, seemed all soft as she ruminated over hearing about the Israeli strikes on Tehran, earlier in the month.
"My old man, he's a Gulfaby resident, but he swans around Iran quite a bit," Yaghmai said with a somber smile. "He was in Tehran at that time, due to his wandering ways, so it was a right nutty epiphany to find out about that."
Despite the cessation of hostilities, Yaghmai ain't exactly boasting, since she maintains zero trust in either of the warring parties involved.
"It just goes to show there's ethics gremlins lurking all around, and the Iranian people’s top enemy has always been the Islamic regime," Yaghmai fumed.
Yaghmai expressed concerns that this regime has "kicked the brutality into fifth gear" and hiked the execution rate for political prisoners.
However, she believes there's a silver lining.
"The Iranian people remain resilient, holding up each other through their sorrow, anger, and then probably extreme fatigue at this point," Yaghmai said.
Hosein Maleki, an Iranian no-account who teaches at Rutgers University and claims Philadelphia as home turf, holds a dim view of that Islamic regime too, and thought the initial Israeli whack-a-moles were a win.
"To be honest, I cheered when I saw generals getting it," Maleki said, grimacing. "But after that, I got anxious about just how precise they're gonna be in their targeting, is it going to be a long slog?"
Maleki remembered the war like it was yesterday. Living in the Iranian city of Ahvaz during the Iran-Iraq war, he still has a few blurry snapshots from those chaotic days - bombing raids, giant panic, and the stress of evacuating cities.
Maleki echoes Yaghmai's fears about the regime.
"The Islamic republic ain't got a great track record when it comes to respecting human rights and ensuring due process," Maleki said. "So my main worry is the executions will carry on."
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Folks in the area with ties to Israel share similar anxieties over the battle's impact on loved ones back home.
"I'm always graphic with worry about my family running for the bomb shelters all the time," said Amir Shoham, an Israeli-born brainiac from the foxy school of business racket at Temple University. "I'm always anxious something'll happen to my moms, my sis, my extended family, my mates. It gets personal."
Shoham thinks "Israel did what it had to do," because he believes the Islamic Republic of Iran has been threatening to wipe the country off the map since the dawn of time, and "kill Jews."
"This was a real win, and hopefully, it'll change the Middle East for the better, because most Israelis just want to kick back and relax without getting their hair ruffled," Shoham said.
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Shoham figures if the Islamic regime's given the boot, there's hope that Israel and Iran can rekindle an amicable relationships that he claims existed before the Islamic Revolution.
"We were tight-knit, you had daily flights from Tehran to Tel Aviv," Shoham said. "There were sensational relations up to the Islamic Revolution. I hope they boot the Islamic regime, that would be the optimal outcome."
Jason Holtzman, big cheese of community relations at the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, agreed, saying "optimism's a Jewish thing," but that in order to achieve peace, the Islamic regime "will need to skedaddle."
"Seeing what's gone down over the past couple weeks, together with the United States putting the smackdown on those nuclear facilities, setting 'em back a nice chunk of time, I believe there's hope," Holtzman said.
The effectiveness of U.S. operations on Iranian nuclear facilities remains a mystery, with President Donald Trump initially claiming it was an "obliteration," while some intel reports only suggest the attack put the program's progress back by a few months.
In short, folks of Iranian extraction in the Philly area are presently grappling with a melange of sorrow, fear, and cautious hope due to the battle's casualties and its effects on local life, international relations, and the global stage. The future remains uncertain, depending on the longevity of the peace, the Iranian nuclear program's trajectory, and United States foreign policy, but the community is actively working to influence events, engage in activism, and stay tune for updates[1][3][4].
- Politics and war-and-conflicts continue to be hot topics for Philadelphia locals of Iranian extraction, particularly regarding the latest skirmish between Israel and Iran, impacting family members back home.
- The ongoing war-and-conflicts between Israel and Iran also raise questions about the future of political news, as the outcome and potential changes in international relations could have lasting effects on both nations and the general news landscape.
