The Guardian:

Anna Betts

Recent protests in Iran have created the most serious and deadliest unrest in the country since the 1979 revolution, prompting eyes from all around the globe to shift to the Middle East.

The Guardian asked Iranians living outside the country to share their views on the current situation in the country and about the possibility of US intervention.

Hundreds of Iranians based in the US described living in a constant state of anxiety and helplessness, consumed by fear for loved ones back home – worsened by the internet blackouts that have cut off communication.

“No one should have to wake up every day wondering whether their loved ones have been executed, imprisoned, or killed in the streets simply for demanding dignity and freedom,” Mahnaz, 36, wrote. “The scale of these atrocities demands more than statements of concern.”

Fereshteh, 45, a lab scientist, described the past weeks as “emotionally devastating”.

“Even from far away, the fear never stops. Many days I wake up terrified to check my phone, afraid of seeing bad news or learning that someone I love has been arrested, injured, or killed, Fereshteh said, adding that many Iranians they speak with “believe that peaceful protests alone are no longer enough”.

“The regime has shown that it will respond only with bullets, prisons, and executions,” they continued. “In this situation, international military intervention may be the only realistic way to stop the killing and dismantle this system of repression. If intervention can end this dictatorship and give people a chance to live freely, many of us believe it is a price worth paying.”

Ellie, 33, described feeling “an intense sense of survivor’s guilt” being in the US and is “emotionally paralyzed and often speechless” by the news from Iran.

“A regime that suppresses its own people through violence, fear, and isolation does not remain a local problem,” she said. “It destabilizes regions, fuels extremism, drives forced migration, and normalizes brutality. Ignoring this does not create peace – it postpones a larger crisis.”

Many respondents said they believed some form of international intervention in Iran was necessary.

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