Iranian Americans rally in Detroit both supporting effort to topple Tehran regime and in opposition

Michigan Advance – Iranian Americans rally in Detroit both supporting effort to topple Tehran regime and in opposition

While many Americans remain opposed to the undeclared war launched against Iran last month by President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, downtown Detroit Sunday featured supporters of the military action against the Islamic regime and its proxies.

Mark Masoud, 63, wearing a Trump hat and holding a Persian flag, arrived with his family from Novi Sunday at Campus Martius Park for a demonstration to celebrate the ongoing attempt to topple the Islamic regime in Iran, now entering its third week.

“I came down here to be a voice for the Iranian people,” Masoud said. The gathering beneath the Michigan Soldiers and Sailors Monument has been drawing dozens of people—both Iranians and Iranian Americans—every Sunday since the conflict began.

Masoud said he arrived in the United States in 1979 to pursue high school and university studies. That same year, Ruhollah Khomeini became the supreme leader of the new Islamic Republic of Iran after the uprising against Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who abdicated and was exiled.

“A few months later, Khomeini came, and he messed everything up. And as a result, I never went back. I never wanted to live under the mullah’s regime, so I stayed,” Masoud declared.

Gradually, the crowd of demonstrators grew larger as both Israeli and American flags waved alongside the Iranian flag bearing the Lion and Sun—a symbol of opposition to the Islamic regime. Posters expressing gratitude to Trump and Netanyahu, as well as images of the face of Reza Korosh Pahlavi—son of the last Shah—echoed the chants of “Alternative for Iran: Reza Pahlavi,” “Thank you, USA! Thank you, Bibi,” and “What do we want? Internet for Iran!” that were heard during the group’s march around several downtown blocks.

“Trump and Netanyahu are taking over such a complex protocol to demolish this regime,” Maryam Naghib, an East Lansing resident who hasn’t gone back to her native Tehran in 10 years, said. “Both have promised us that they are doing this pinpoint targeted operation aiming at this brutal regime. They are helping to free Iran, and we appreciate it.”

“I cannot criticize them, honestly, because this is such a complicated process,” Naghib added.

Since the conflict began, protests have taken place across the country, both celebrating and condemning the attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran, including a one held about an hour later, also in downtown Detroit, opposing U.S. involvement in the military escalation which has seen increasing bombings of Tehran while the Islamic regime has dug in, and its new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has vowed to escalate the conflict.

As of March 15, the death toll in Iran has already reached 3,000—including both civilians and military personnel—according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. The Lebanese Ministry of Health has reported 850 deaths in Lebanon. In Israel, the government has acknowledged 15 civilian deaths, while 13 U.S. military personnel are known to have been killed.

Although Trump claims that the conflict will end soon, U.S. intelligence has indicated that Iran’s leadership remains largely intact and is not at risk of collapse in the short term.

For Masoud, the Iranian Islamic regime must be completely eradicated for this war to end, and Trump’s lack of clarity regarding his support for a successor leader doesn’t help.

“Let’s say, Trump, comes and says, ‘Yeah, I’m going to pick so-and-so to lead.’ Because I can, because I beat these guys. The Iranian people will not accept it. It’s that simple,” he says.

“I just wanted him to recognize that — and I’m sure he has his reasons for saying what he said — but what he said was that he would like to see leadership. He didn’t specify, but the signs you see here are Reza Pahlavi’s signs,” Masoud said.

The conflict shows no signs of ending soon, even as Iran is blocking oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, impacting the global economy. But for most of the Iranian diaspora, this is an opportunity to finally topple, either through total surrender or continued attacks, the Islamic regime that they condemn has bled their country dry.

“If you really want to end wars—at least in the Middle East—you have to address the source of all this instability,” Sam Mirzaei, a real estate worker who emigrated from Iran, said.

“They have openly funded many militias in Lebanon and Yemen, and they treat international routes—like oil transportation and commercial trade—as targets. I believe that after this war ends, we may see much more stability in the region,” Mirzaei said.