‘Emotionally devastating’: Iranians in US on regime’s deadly protest crackdown

Recent protests in Iran have created the most serious and deadliest unrest in the country since the 1979 revolution, prompting eyes from all around the globe to shift to the Middle East.

The Guardian asked Iranians living outside the country to share their views on the current situation in the country and about the possibility of US intervention.

Hundreds of Iranians based in the US described living in a constant state of anxiety and helplessness, consumed by fear for loved ones back home – worsened by the internet blackouts that have cut off communication.

“No one should have to wake up every day wondering whether their loved ones have been executed, imprisoned, or killed in the streets simply for demanding dignity and freedom,” Mahnaz, 36, wrote. “The scale of these atrocities demands more than statements of concern.”

Fereshteh, 45, a lab scientist, described the past weeks as “emotionally devastating”.

“Even from far away, the fear never stops. Many days I wake up terrified to check my phone, afraid of seeing bad news or learning that someone I love has been arrested, injured, or killed, Fereshteh said, adding that many Iranians they speak with “believe that peaceful protests alone are no longer enough”.

“The regime has shown that it will respond only with bullets, prisons, and executions,” they continued. “In this situation, international military intervention may be the only realistic way to stop the killing and dismantle this system of repression. If intervention can end this dictatorship and give people a chance to live freely, many of us believe it is a price worth paying.”

Ellie, 33, described feeling “an intense sense of survivor’s guilt” being in the US and is “emotionally paralyzed and often speechless” by the news from Iran.

“A regime that suppresses its own people through violence, fear, and isolation does not remain a local problem,” she said. “It destabilizes regions, fuels extremism, drives forced migration, and normalizes brutality. Ignoring this does not create peace – it postpones a larger crisis.”

Many respondents said they believed some form of international intervention in Iran was necessary.

“I believe words and sanctions have failed for decades,” said Luna Houshmand, a software engineer in her 30s. “If they worked, this regime would not still be killing people in the streets. If the world truly believes in human rights, it must move beyond statements and take real action.”

A woman in New York, who asked to remain anonymous, said her family in Iran told her that people feel “desperate and helpless, and their only hope is foreign assistance”.

“President Trump promised the people of Iran that he would come to save them, and the people have counted on that promise,” she said. “Our only concern right now is that he may not follow through.”

Maryam Tehrani, in Seattle, said she believes Iranians need “not empty statements, but meaningful pressure on the Islamic Republic”.

“Sanctions targeting officials, international isolation, and real accountability matter,” she said. “Military intervention is complicated and risky, but indifference is not an option. The priority should be protecting civilians and supporting the Iranian people’s right to decide their own future without repression.”

Sahar Haddadian, a civil engineer in Florida, said that “no one wants war” or “foreign intervention or to see innocent lives lost” but “history has shown that some regimes leave the world with no good options – only difficult ones”.

“You cannot negotiate with a regime that rules through terror,” Haddadian, 36, said, adding that “dialogue, appeasement, and empty diplomacy have failed”.

Haddadian also said the US must “make it clear that it stands with the Iranian people”.

“That means real consequences for regime leaders, full isolation of those responsible for crimes against humanity, and unwavering support for the people of Iran who are bravely demanding freedom,” they said.

Ellie, 42, in Colorado, said that while she is “strongly against war,” the “situation in Iran has reached a point where people are being killed for demanding basic rights” and that “without some form of international intervention, whether political, diplomatic, economic, or strategic pressure, it is difficult to see how this regime can be stopped.”

“If President Trump or any other world leader is willing to take meaningful, non‑military action that helps end the ongoing repression, I would welcome that support,” she said.

An Iranian in California, who asked to remain anonymous, said they have long opposed “foreign military intervention in Iran”, “do not trust US intentions” and are “deeply aware of the damage outside interference has caused in the region”, but now feel torn.

“We are now at such a deadlock that I honestly don’t know what to feel anymore,” they said. “When a regime responds to peaceful protests with mass bloodshed, when civilians are gunned down and hospitals overflow with the injured, it forces people like me into impossible moral contradictions.

“I find myself torn between my long-held beliefs and the sheer desperation of watching my people slaughtered with no protection and no voice.”

Tara, a 36-year-old engineer, also described herself as “deeply conflicted” about US intervention.

“I can’t predict what would happen to my family, and I fear that any intervention could lead to more death and devastation,” she said. “At the same time, I see no clear alternative for ending the Islamic regime’s grip on power. I wish there were a way to remove those responsible without harming ordinary people or destroying our beautiful country.

“I’m worried this could turn into a never-ending war.”