When an Iranian American husband and wife see protests against the war with Iran in the United States, they shudder, recalling living and being raised under a regime that “controlled” their young lives.
Since its start, has drawn scrutiny from the American public, inspiring anti-war protests across the country.Â
Behzad Hemmati and Rahil Nazarian both had the opportunity to come to America from Iran as young adults.Â
Decades later, Hemmati, 50, and Nazarian, 42, told Fox News Digital that they are watching the situation unfold from their new home in Southern , and to them, this conflict isnt a war, its a “rescue mission.”
Born under the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Hemmati recalls he was too young to experience the “good things” before the Islamic Revolution in 1979 overthrew Pahlavi’s reign.
“I came here [just because of] my natural personality, I couldnt bear with the things that [were] happening [in Iran],” Hemmati said.
He recalled his life as a teenager and said, “You want to be yourself, to be free,” but shared that what Western culture considers a “normal” teenage life, wasnt allowed in Iran.
“You want to dance, you want to hang out with your friends, but we couldnt ⦠girls and boys [are] always separate,” Hemmati explained. “This is how [the government] control[s] you, this is how [they] break you in pieces and take that beautiful life that you can have [and] take it away from you.”
Nazarian was born during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. Her father was a teacher and after the Islamic Revolution, she explained that the took her familys home, their land and her father was unable to work.
“After [Ayatollah Ruhollah] Khomeini came and took over, they fired [my father] because they told him, You work during Shah, you dont deserve this,” Nazarian said.
In an emotional moment, she recalled her father being brought back and forth between Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) camps until one day, he did not come back.
“They were executing most of his family members,” Nazarian said.Â
“One day, he went, and they told him, Oh, we have a plan for you, were gonna give you back everything we took to you, were going to give it back to you,” Nazarian recalled. “He left home [that day], he never came back.”
Since the initial strikes in that began in the early-morning hours of Feb. 28, the conflict has struck a chord with the American public, leading to backlash against the Trump administration.
Still, when Hemmati and Nazarian see protests against military action, Hemmati told Fox News Digital that they “dont understand.”
“People should understand [here], those that they dont understand,” he said. “People are going on the street and saying no to war, I can tell you 100%, they have no idea.”
The operation has also garnered support from many in the community.Â
Hemmati said protests in favor of U.S. military action in the country have sprung up around Southern California, and that he attends an event almost every weekend. He says this is a way for people to be the voice for people inside Iran who are in favor of the operation.
“[Iranians] inside Iran want to show the world â obviously, they cant do anything because everything is disconnected from Iran â but thats why were going out to be their voice,” Hemmati said.
Nazarian and Hemmati said they spoke to relatives still living in Iran and despite constant bombardments near their homes, theyre “glad this is happening.”
“No matter what happens, no matter if we lose our house, no matter if the whole house is destroyed, as long as were alive to fight back, were still grateful and happy,” Hemmati said.
“They were thanking President and said, its OK, we have to pay the price for freedom,” Nazarian continued.
Hemmati said by targeting specific IRGC locations the operation is “cutting the regimes bloodlines.”
“Theyre targeting those very special places for th
