Before the bombs drop, Mania Faramarzi (23) usually already knows that they are coming. ‘When it becomes difficult to reach my relatives in Iran, that’s a sign that something is about to happen.’

Since the attack on Iran by Israel and the United States, internet traffic has been down, causing great concern among Dutch Iranians with family in Iran – the Leiden student of Middle Eastern Studies among them. ‘I haven’t been able to get in direct contact with my family yet.’

‘I’m an agnostic, but I pray all day long for the regime to fall’, says PhD candidate Jamaseb Soltani. ‘If the regime doesn’t fall, my cousin will most likely get the death penalty.’

After participating in protests against the oppressive Iranian regime in January, that cousin was arrested by the Iranian authorities. ‘They arrested him at his parents’ house, put a black bag over his head and dragged him away. They suspect him of spying for Mossad and deliberately inciting unrest during the demonstrations in January. I’ve seen the footage on Iranian state television. He and a group of other young men “confess” that they supposedly received money from the Israeli secret service to instigate protests.’

Soltani sighs. ‘Nothing about this story adds up. He wasn’t politically active at all. I fear he made this “confession” under the pressure of torture.’

‘Messages sometimes only arrive after several days’, says Babak Rezaeedaryakenari, associate professor of International Relations. ‘At the same time, news from Iran is often distorted and heavily influenced by state media and propaganda, which makes it even more difficult to find reliable information about what is really happening.’

While she waits for a sign of life, Faramarzi constantly scours the news for developments and attacks. ‘They can call us, but we can’t call them. It’s very expensive for them.’ When they manage to reach someone, the connection is often quickly cut off. ‘My cousin briefly spoke to my uncle on the phone. He told her that they are safe, doing well, and that some family members have fled the most dangerous area of Tehran to central Iran. 

PROTESTS

Despite the bombings, Faramarzi says she was more concerned about her family’s safety last January. ‘Back then, the violence was directed at civilians, but now they’re no longer the target. I was in Tehran when the protests against the regime broke out, but I wasn’t allowed to join them because we were due to fly home the next day for my exams. We couldn’t risk getting stuck there. 

‘My family did join the protests, and some of them work in hospitals. I’ve heard stories of how soldiers forced medical staff to refuse treatment to demonstrators. Some doctors were forced to halt operations on demonstrators. Some of the demonstrators were shot dead in hospital by soldiers.’

According to her, the vast majority of Iranians are pleased with the attacks on the Iranian regime and the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. ‘When the news of the American military action in Venezuela broke at the same time as the demonstrations in Iran, my cousin cheered that Iran would be next. After the first attacks on Tehran, my other cousin texted me a heart-eyes emoji.’

Among Iranians at Leiden University, opinions about the war are divided. ‘I’m not a fan of military interventions, because I doubt that the US and Israel have the best interests of the Iranian people at heart’, says an Iranian-Italian student (21) who wishes to remain anonymous. ‘I would have preferred to see the people overthrow the regime themselves. On the other hand, I also wonder if that would ever have been possible, given the many attempts to do so in recent years.’ 

Out of solidarity with the oppressed Iranian people, she regularly takes part in demonstrations in the Netherlands. ‘The people who attend these demonstrations often wave flags of Israel, the United States and the pre-revolutionary monarchy. Part of the diaspora is very extremist and blindly supports Israel and the United States, which frustrates me to no end.’

As much as he would like to see the regime fall, Soltani finds it difficult to pass judgement on the military intervention. ‘I’m safe here in the Netherlands, no bombs are falling on my head. At the moment, there is no worthy scenario left to defend; I’m at a loss for words.’

MEDIA COVERAGE

He says he is surprised by the limited media coverage the January protests received in comparison to the current war. ‘I’ve also noticed selective indignation among activist students. Some of my colleagues have created an ideological enemy that is anti-imperialist and anti-Western. They disapprove of this military intervention, but they don’t understand that the vast majority of Iranians consider it a last resort after their attempt to overthrow the regime in January. The left also has a blind spot’.

‘The Iranian diaspora has always been politically diverse’, says Rezaeedaryakenari. ‘There are both pro- and anti-regime voices that are opposed to the war, but there’s also a third group – probably the largest – that believes external military pressure is the only recourse left to weaken or bring down the Islamic Republic, as other strategies have had little effect in recent decades.

‘Iran is a country with vast human potential, a young and highly educated population, a rich intellectual tradition and abundant natural resources. The tragedy of recent decades is that much of this potential has been stifled by political repression and international isolation.’

‘We will rebuild the country’, Soltani adds. ‘I have no doubt that the Iranian people will prevail.’