Over the past weekend, it became the happiest moment for the Iranian community in Los Angeles. Tens of thousands of Iranian residents took to the streets for two consecutive days to celebrate and express their gratitude towards the joint efforts of the US and Israel in eliminating the Iranian dictator, Khamenei, and several top officials, finally giving the Iranian people a glimpse of freedom after nearly half a century of violent repression.
On Sunday (March 1st) at the gathering in West Los Angeles, some Iranians held up large photos of President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu with the inscription “THANK YOU BIBI & TRUMP.” The participants were all smiles, some even in tears of joy. Among them was Daniel J, who had three relatives killed by the Khamenei regime.
The news of the demise of Khamenei and his inner circle brought immense joy to Daniel. “I have been waiting for this day for two months,” he told a reporter. During these two months, he witnessed too many Iranians sacrificing their lives in the fight for basic rights.
Through independent channels, he learned that possibly 50,000 people were killed. While Iranian officials claimed 3,000 deaths, the figures are believed to be greatly understated. According to the UK’s “The Guardian,” a professional medical organization estimated that the death toll could exceed 33,000.
Among the deceased were three of Daniel’s relatives, including his uncle, all currently residing in Iran. He fondly remembered his uncle as a wealthy man who provided a comfortable life for him and his children, “He never worried about money, he was very brave and a very kind person.”
Daniel expressed that the ongoing resistance by Iranians was not merely for one specific factor like economics, politics, or religion, but a combination of all factors. “Even those who are financially well-off detest the current regime, longing for its downfall, just like my uncle,” he said.
In Daniel’s view, since the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979 when religious forces seized power, the anger of the Iranian people towards the current regime has been building up. “These ruling figures are resorting to any means to regress the country, doing everything in their power to destroy the nation, even resorting to bloody repression and murder of protesters.”
Since the military strikes initiated by the US and Israel on Saturday, the war efforts have been swift and effective. Trump mentioned that initially, it was expected to take four to five weeks; “The current progress is far beyond expectations,” but if necessary, “we are capable of persisting for a longer time.”
Daniel believes that despite the military action in Iran not being as straightforward as the US operations in Venezuela, it may not even require four weeks. “Such (dictatorial) regimes lack leaders and sufficient military facilities to resist the United States.”
He stated that the current events in Iran depict the ultimate fate of all evil regimes.
“Looking back at history, oppressive regimes around the world will ultimately meet a similar fate: dictators being ousted. This is their destiny. Some regimes may meet their end later, some earlier.” He expressed gratitude for leaders like Trump who can accelerate the downfall of the current Iranian regime, preventing more people from dying at its hands.
Daniel mentioned that Iranian expatriates and domestic populations are currently counting down to the collapse of the Islamic Republic’s tyranny, “I hope this change will happen in the next one or two weeks, at most three weeks because that day is fast approaching.” ◇