As Israel and Iran continue their conflict, Arizona’s large Iranian-American community is monitoring events closely.
Freshman U.S. Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Phoenix, is the daughter of Iranian immigrants who fled the county after the 1979 revolution. As the first Iranian-American Democrat in Congress, Ansari agrees there should be regime change, but does not condone the U.S. getting involved.
"Iranian people are different than their government. The regime in Iran is brutal. It is an authoritarian dictatorship and Iran should not have a nuclear weapon. But I’m very concerned about U.S. escalation in this conflict, U.S.’s role in a potential war," Ansari said.
Ansari says President Donald Trump needs authorization from Congress to declare war, and she is particularly concerned about his foreign policy decisions and mixed social media messages; including instructing Iranians to evacuate Tehran.
An estimated 25,000 Iranian-Americans live in Arizona.
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