As Israel and Iran trade fire in their most intense confrontation in history, members of the Iranian diaspora in Europe are torn between hopes for change and fears for their loved ones back home.
In Frankfurt, Hamid Nasiri, 45, a product developer at a pharmaceutical company, said he had “mixed feelings” about the fighting, started by Israel on Friday after weeks of tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Like many Iranians in Europe, he sees Israel’s offensive as a chance to topple the Iranian leadership under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — long accused of human-rights abuses and brutally repressing dissent.
“On the one hand, Israel’s actions are specifically directed against the Islamic government, which is itself known for its brutal methods. That gives me a certain hope,” Nasiri said.
“At the same time, I naturally mourn for the people of Iran. When women, children and now scientists are killed, I find that morally very disturbing,” he said.
“Many are caught between hope for change and horror at what is happening right now,” said an Iranian teacher based in Frankfurt who did not want to give her name.
She has not been able to reach a friend living in northern Tehran since Friday.
‘Really upset’
In London, around a dozen members of the Iranian diaspora gathered in front of the Iranian embassy on Monday.
Some were waving Israeli flags, others the flag of the Pahlavi dynasty — the ruling house of Iran until the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
Psychology student Maryam Tavakol, 35, said she supported Israel’s assault.
“There is no freedom in Iran, no human rights… We support each act that makes the Islamic republic weaker,” said Tavakol, who left Iran in 2019 and has been living in the UK for two years.
But Ali, 49, a restaurant worker living in London who did not want to give his last name, said he would prefer the arch rivals to “sit down and speak to each other”.
“(I have) never supported the Iranian regime, I don’t like the regime,” said Ali, who left Iran in 1997.
“(But) who will suffer? The people… I don’t support anyone who harms kids and people. I’m really upset,” he said.
“We still have family and friends in Iran, Tehran,” said Paria, 32, another London restaurant worker.
“They are fleeing to the north. We are really worried for them.”
Israel on Friday launched a surprise aerial campaign targeting sites across Iran, saying the attacks aimed to prevent its enemy from acquiring atomic weapons.
Iran’s uranium enrichment has for decades caused tension with the West and Israel, which fear the drive is aimed at making an atomic bomb, a charge denied by Tehran.
The Israeli strikes have so far killed at least 224 people, including top military commanders, nuclear scientists but also civilians, according to Iranian authorities.
Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Israel have so far killed 24 people, according to Israeli authorities.
‘Divided’
Hamidreza Javdan, a 71-year-old actor and director originally from Tehran and now living in Paris, said the Iranian diaspora was “divided” over the conflict.
“Some say ‘no one has the right to attack our country’, others think it’s a good thing,” he said.
Javdan said he was “hopeful” for a change of government, but also fears for his brother, who is disabled and unable to quickly leave Tehran.
“And there are more than 10 million people in Tehran, where are they going to go?” he said.
In Sweden, a 34-year-old lawyer who requested anonymity said she found the conflict “abominable”.
“I feel no loyalty to the Iranian regime… and want to see it overthrown. But this must come from the Iranian people themselves, not as a result of interference from foreign powers,” she said.
Baharan Kazemi, 42, a Swedish-Iranian children’s author, said Israel’s assault was “indirectly an attack on us too, on our families”.
“Like most diaspora Iranians I have spoken to, I feel so many things — fear, sadness, anger, powerlessness. To be separated from your loved ones during a crisis adds another layer to the pain,” she said.
In Berlin, an Iranian translator who wanted to remain anonymous said she felt “torn” over the conflict.
“I hope so much that this war will overthrow the mullah regime. I wish for that so much. Then all the deaths would not have been in vain,” she said.
