'Asking for freedom': Iranians in Utah make argument for regime change in Iran

SALT LAKE CITY — As the war in Iran continues, Iranians living in Utah have a simple message and plan to gather Saturday as part of their efforts to get the word out.

"The Iranian people are asking for freedom, accountability and the right to determine their own future. Our demonstration is a call for solidarity, awareness and moral clarity," said Niala Masrouri, who left Iran in 2000, when she was 16.

Put another way, Vandad Oladi, another member of the Iranian community in Utah, wants "regime change" — an end to the repressive, clerical government in the country, under attack by U.S. and Israeli forces since last Saturday. He's the founder of Iranians in Utah, organizing Saturday's sidewalk protest, set for noon at 400 S. State in Salt Lake City.

"We don't like our country (getting bombed), but this is the only way we can get rid of this regime, and we appreciate President Trump for his action," he said.

Masrouri suspects a majority of the 4,000 or so Utah residents of Iranian descent are critical of the clerical government, weakened by the ongoing attacks, which have killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top Iranian officials. Even so, some Utahns oppose the military action in Iran and are to hold a demonstration of their own on Saturday, also at noon and just three blocks to the north of the Iranians in Utah action at 125 S. State, the Wallace Bennett Federal Building.

Masrouri said she knows some of the people likely to take part in the anti-war protest and has collaborated with them on "justice, equality and human dignity" issues. Nevertheless, the oppression Iranians face at the hands of the government there is the big motivating factor for her.

"I know their hearts are in the right place," she said, referencing those in Utah's anti-war movement. "But we cannot ignore or soften the truth about what the Islamic Republic has done and continues to do, both inside Iran and across the region."

Oladi likens the targeted U.S. and Israeli attacks to surgery, painful in the near-term but beneficial longer term. He's not sure what's driving the anti-war protests, but he thinks the action in Iran, potentially changing the government there, benefits the United States and the rest of the world.

The existing Iranian government leaders "don't care about anything. They don't keep promises," he said. "Any deal with them is going to be fake."

Iranians across the United States have rejoiced at the attack on Iran's government, and Masrouri sees her role as representing those who are suffering in Iran. She works with a "grassroots team" in the state to that end.

"Our efforts here in Utah are focused on ensuring that these realities are not forgotten and that the voices of those inside Iran continue to be heard," she said. Both she and Oladi say the news they are getting from friends, family and others in Iran indicates support for the military action in Iran.

Read more:

Multicultural Utah

Looking for more news about the different cultures that call Utah home? Visit our Multicultural Utah section for more stories, events and features.

Whether regime change is possible, however, remains up for debate.

"What I am certain of is that whether these events lead to regime change or result in a negotiated solution, the post-conflict world will be unlike anything we have experienced," Masrouri said. "It could become more progressive and stable if the outcomes address the deep-rooted regional conflicts that the Islamic Republic has caused and fueled. Alternatively, we could face a prolonged reality dominated by extremism cloaked in the guise of religion."

Related topics