Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Iranian Americans React to Ongoing Protests at Home

Sirwan Kajjo

   WASHINGTON - Iranian Americans are closely watching the unfolding
   situation in their home country as protests continue in Tehran over the
   Iran military's admission on Saturday that it mistakenly shot down a
   civilian Ukrainian plane, killing all 176 on board.

   Many Iranian Americans have taken to the streets to express their
   support for the Iranian people and their demands in the ongoing
   protests in Iran.

   On Sunday, dozens of Iranian-American activists gathered in Washington
   D.C, to honor the victims of the Ukrainian plane crash and to show
   support for their fellow countrymen who reportedly have been facing a
   violent government crackdown on recent protests.

   "I'm here to support the Iranian people [and] be their voice,"said
   Monir, an Iranian-American, who only gave her first name.

   "If you go in the streets [in Iran], you might be jailed, you might be
   killed in the streets, and these people are so brave,"she said as she
   was standing with a crowd in downtown Washington.

     خطاب ب٠رÙبرا٠اÙراÙ: Ùعترضا٠خÙد را ÙÙØ´Ùد.
     Ùزارا٠ت٠تاÙÙÙ٠ب٠دست Ø´Ùا Ùشت٠Ùا زÙداÙ٠شدÙ
     اÙØ¯Ø Ù Ø¬Ùا٠Ùظار٠گر است. ÙÙÙتر از اÙØ Ø§ÙاÙات
     ÙتØد٠Ùظار٠گر است. اÙÙترÙت را دÙبار٠Ùص٠ÙÙÙد
     ٠ب٠خبرÙگارا٠اجاز٠دÙÙد ازاداÙÙ ØرÙت ÙÙÙد!
     Ùشتار Ùرد٠بزرگ اÙرا٠را ÙتÙÙÙ ÙÙÙد!
     [1]https://t.co/rzpx3Nfn03
     -- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [2]January 12, 2020

   Framarz Zafi, another Iranian American who attended the Washington
   gathering, said while he appreciated U.S. support for protesters in
   Iran, he didn't want a military confrontation between Washington and
   Tehran.

   "It's nice that President Trump [is] tweeting in Farsi, but we want to
   tell him that we don't want war," Zafi told VOA.

   "People of Iran don't want war. They have suffered enough,"he said.

   More activities are expected to be held by the Iranian-American
   community in other U.S. cities.

   According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2018 survey, there are over
   450,000 people of Iranian background living in the U.S.

   Activists in the Iranian-American community said they have been
   increasingly watching developments after the recent tensions between
   the U.S. and Iran, following the killing of top Iranian general Qassem
   Soleimani in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad.

   "I'm constantly checking the news and I'm in touch with various people
   both in Iran as well as in the Iranian diaspora community," said Cklara
   Moradian, an Iranian-American activist based in Los Angeles.

References

   1. https://t.co/rzpx3Nfn03
   2. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1216400564071936001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

.