'No to War': Iranian opposition abroad pushes back against US-Israeli strikes
(www.middleeasteye.net)
from pete_link@lemmy.ml to world@lemmy.world on 01 Mar 2026 16:03
https://lemmy.ml/post/43881464
from pete_link@lemmy.ml to world@lemmy.world on 01 Mar 2026 16:03
https://lemmy.ml/post/43881464
cross-posted from: lemmy.ml/post/43881463
March 1, 2026
In the first hours of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, opponents of the war and critics of the Islamic Republic from across the political spectrum quickly made their divergent voices heard on Farsi social media.
While anti-war activists were swift to revive the Farsi hashtag “No to War” on Saturday, pro-monarchy groups and individuals, led by Reza Pahlavi, called for an escalation of attacks on Iran.
Pahlavi, the Israel-aligned son of the country’s last shah, has been at the helm of a movement advocating the restoration of the monarchy. Since Israel’s 12-day war on Iran last year, his camp has mounted an aggressive media campaign against rival opposition voices.
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I really, really want to hear what Iranians across the world have to say about this whole situation.
Online, it feels like a bunch of white keyboard warriors are the only ones talking for the sake of Iranians. But, I’ve heard from actual Iranians they were quite happy about this, and especially the death of Khamenei. They’ve been celebrating this attack on their country.
That’s only the impression I’m getting btw. If any Iranians want to speak up, I’d really like to hear what you have to say.
Middleeasteye definitely has bias on this issue.
They are also big supporters of russian genocidal imperialism.
It’s easy to pick a narrative. If Trump died tomorrow there would be celebrations in the streets of America too.
The problem is the severe disconnect between Iran diaspora and english speaking Iranians online.
I know the same Iranian general group that you know that are all happy about the US intervention, but the reality is that it represents quite a small percentage of the total number of Iranians.
People think the Ayatolllah is widely unpopular in Iran, but he is still very well supported which is why many analysts think this airstrike method won’t cause a successful regime change.
You just won’t meet those people because they live in Iran and don’t post on popular social media, and definitely not in english.
Its the same for a lot of countries like Pakistan. I can personally guarantee you that the average post on r/Pakistan is not representative of the average Pakistani.
Yeah that’s a very good point.
That doesn’t change the fact that Iran has had many pro democracy protests over the past decades. It was democratic before the US and UK overthrew it in 1953. I don’t doubt Iran could become a healthy democracy again.
But I don’t think this is the way to do it. The US has had a terrible track record with regime change over the past 25 years. There’s a good chance that Trump will settle for an oil deal.
I do hope this will result in democracy in Iran, but chances are slim.
the audacity to create a board of peace and then immediately start a war
The name Axis of Evil was already taken.
I suspect that one of the reasons for the war now is to prevent the Iranian pro-democracy opposition from gaining power. Neither MAGA, the Likud nor the Gulf despots want legitimate democracies in the Middle East.