When Rep Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, the only Iranian American Democrat in Congress, learned in the early hours of February 28 that the United States was dropping bombs on Tehran, her first call was to her parents.
They had fled Iran decades ago. So she felt a rush of hope, but also unease, when she learned that the opening salvo of the US-Israeli assault had killed the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Ansari, 33, is a progressive Democrat who was sworn in last year, making her only the second Iranian American in Congress, after Rep Stephanie Bice, R-Okla, elected in 2020, whose father was born in Iran.
Ansari’s party is fiercely opposed to a war President Donald Trump started without congressional authorisation. But in a recent interview with The New York Times, she described conflicted feelings about the operation.
She said that her family had discussed for decades when Iranians might finally topple the government and that they wondered if that moment had arrived. But she was also deeply concerned about Trump’s unilateral move to start a war that she calls “illegal” and worried that he might eventually align himself with a new leader who would continue to oppress the Iranian people while acquiescing to the American president’s demands.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Q: What was your initial reaction when the US and Israel launched a joint attack that killed the supreme leader?
A: I felt a wide mix of emotions as the daughter of Iranian immigrants who fled this regime and somebody who grew up hearing all of the devastating stories about how the regime treats its people. You know, my own grandfather was imprisoned by the regime.
It is undoubtedly a moment of celebration when the supreme leader is killed, and Iranians overwhelmingly, whether inside the country or outside, are thrilled.
As a congresswoman who is elected to represent my district in Phoenix and make sure that the US government is making decisions that are in the best interest of Americans, I was terrified that Donald Trump decided to engage in an illegal war without having made any case to the American public about why it is in our national security interests and if there is an imminent national security threat to the United States, and without coming to Congress for authorisation. So the feelings are widespread because of those very competing dynamics.
Q: What have you heard from constituents in the opening days of the war?
A: Most of the calls have been very anti-war, very anti-the US engaging in potentially another long, endless war in the Middle East.
The message I continue to try to put out is that multiple things can be true at one time. This is a very nuanced issue, and it can be true that it is illegal and potentially reckless for the region and the United States. But it can also be true that Iranians are desperate for regime change and were not able to do it without help.
Q: What are you hearing from family members in the region?
A: I have a lot of extended family who are older. My mom’s aunt, who’s 90 years old, lives in Tehran, and they have not been able to get a hold of her.
The regime tends to shut down the internet whenever there’s any sort of threat from the outside. So that is really devastating.
Q: What is your response to Trump saying he should be involved in selecting the next leader of Iran?
A: This has been a concern of mine all along, and when I say that I don’t think that Donald Trump cares about the future of the Iranian people, this is why I say that. If what were to happen in Venezuela happens in Iran, ultimately, Iranians will recognise that, you know, this may not be in their best interest.
The current regime in Iran — it’s not just one person, right? The supreme leader is a figurehead. And there are many people within the military ranks who are potentially even more hard line than the supreme leader was. A concern I have heard from the diaspora, who hear it also from their family, is the idea of Trump potentially cutting a deal with somebody like that who would probably be more loyal to the US but could still be just as brutal and just as corrupt and just as authoritarian to their own people.
Q: What do you want to see for Iran in the coming months?
A: I can say wholeheartedly: I want to see an actual democratic state, a secular state, a state where the people have decided who their leader is.
There is certainly support around the shah’s son here, domestically. That’s undeniable. I have not met with him yet, but he has committed to only being a transitional leader. I think that’s a worthwhile idea to consider.
Ultimately, I do think there needs to be an internationally monitored referendum, free and fair elections, because Iran is also a very diverse country. There’s 90 million people, and it’s not just Persians. There’s, you know, Armenians, Kurds. There’s different Jews, Baha’is, Muslims. Many people are secular. There’s got to be a coalition, and there’s got to be a model that is representative of everyone. - The New York Times
Megan Mineiro
The writer is a Times congressional reporter
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