CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – As the conflict continues in the Middle East, News 12 spoke with an Iranian American living in the United States who offers another perspective.
She now works as a clinical psychotherapist counseling people who were once imprisoned by the Iranian government for political reasons.
“I always, as a therapist, think about how desperate the Iranian people are that they would rather be bombed than continue being killed by the regime,” said Azadeh Afsahi, an Iranian American clinical psychotherapist.
Afsahi said many Americans may not fully understand what daily life under the Iranian government can be like.
She explained that growing up in Iran meant hearing chants that targeted both Israel and the United States.
“Growing up in Iran, death to the dictator, death to the United States, death to Israel, that was something very normal,” Afsahi explained. “Every morning in school you chant that. So, I do not understand why Americans right now are protesting. We are very happy that this is happening.”
In her work as a therapist, Afsahi said she hears firsthand accounts from people who suffered under the regime.
“I work for somebody who was in prison for 13 years,” she said. “For what? For a social media post.”
She said the man once told her his greatest wish after being released.
“His wish was to be able to walk without an ending,” Afsahi said. “In prison, you could only walk about 30 meters back and forth. He just wanted to be able to walk freely.”
Afsahi said her political views in the United States have historically leaned Democratic.
However, she believes the Iranian people were let down by the international response to protests in Iran years ago.
“Obama failed the Iranian people, and he has apologized for it,” Afsahi said. “He later said in 2009 that we should have done something. Now that President Trump is doing something, many people in America are upset about it. So, there is a double standard.”
Despite that, Afsahi said many Iranian Americans who have long supported human rights causes now feel alone in their fight.
“But I think what is honestly so important right now is that we see it on the left that nobody is supporting us. We are alone in this fight,” Afsahi said.
“And not that in the long run it matters because ultimately it is the politicians who are deciding. But especially for Iranians who have been so liberal, who have stood with all the human rights violations and have been fighting for everyone’s rights, it is a very lonely spot to be when we are fighting to get rid of a dictatorship and we hear silence from the community.”
She added that, for her, the focus is not about political labels but about freedom for the Iranian people.
“Me, as a liberal, right now, I am standing behind the Iranian people,” Afsahi said. “I work with survivors of torture. I work with women who have been in abusive relationships. When they call the cops, they never ask what kind of beliefs the cops have. They just want to be free from that relationship. That is exactly what we need to remind ourselves. It does not matter. We need to move forward so that Iran can be free.”
Afsahi also pointed to the impact of Iranian immigrants around the world and what she believes a free Iran could become.
“We have a lot of people who had to move to the United States and other places to continue their lives, and they are very successful,” Afsahi said. “The head of Uber is Iranian. We have people in Google. We have people who created Dropbox. Many of us will go back and rebuild Iran.”
She believes that rebuilding could strengthen relationships between Iran and democratic nations.
“It is going to be a democratic place that we have so much to offer,” Afsahi said. “I think not only America, but the world would benefit from a free Iran.”
As tensions continue overseas, voices like Afsahi’s highlight the deeply personal experiences shaping how people view the conflict.
