Iran strikes divide local Iranian-Americans, Washington lawmakers split on military action

Local Iranian Americans are expressing mixed emotions following the joint U.S.-Israeli military strikes on Iran.

In Marysville, Iranian-born physician Dr. Mahshid Kamyab praised President Donald Trump for keeping his promise to help Iranian Americans.

“We knew he was a man of his word, and he kept his word, and we cannot thank him enough,” Kamyab said. “People will finally be free to make their own decisions like who they want as their next leader.”

There is one issue Kamyab and Iranian American protestors calling for an end to the use of military force share in common, and that is their combined support for a change in Iran’s leadership.

“This regime has been killing our people, in the tens of thousands,” Kamyab said. “If you remember, just two months ago, on January 8 and January 9, in two days they killed over 30,000 people.”

One of the hundreds of protestors who went to Pike Place Market in Seattle on Saturday told KIRO 7, “If you look at the past few weeks, they have killed tens of thousands of their own people. They have only one motive to get rid of Israel with no reason.”

However, that same protestor and others do not agree that military force to force regime change is the answer.

“The working-class Americans know that we actually need our tax dollars to be funding education, health care, and housing here at home. And you know, right now, our government is basically, you know, I’m not listening to the people,” explained one protestor who did not want taxpayer dollars to be used to fund military strikes in Iran.

Washington congressmen disagree on Iran strikes

The military strikes are also stirring strong opinions among two representatives from Washington.

Democrat Congressman Adam Smith told KIRO Newsradio over the weekend, “I do not support this military action.”

He added, “We’re in a full-scale Middle East war. We don’t know exactly what it is that success would look like. What are we trying to accomplish, and how long is it going to last? So, this is a very, very dangerous situation that the president has kicked off.”

In contrast, Republican Congressman Michael Baumgartner said, “I certainly support the president’s decision. This Iranian regime has really been at war with the US for 47 years. They’ve killed over 2,000 Americans and supported terrorist groups throughout the region for decades. I think it’s really remarkable that their senior leadership has been removed. I’m very pleased that we are taking action to remove their ballistic missile threat, make sure that Iran never develops a nuclear weapon, and make sure their proxy terrorist groups are no longer a threat.”

The representatives also do not agree on whether the ongoing military campaign requires Congressional approval.

“This is a consolidation of presidential power beyond anything we have seen before,” Smith responded. “Yes, presidents have launched military actions in different places, sometimes with congressional approval, sometimes without. But never before have we had a president launch this big of a war with no approval from Congress and no real explanation to the American people of exactly what we’re trying to do.”

“No, it’s similar to actions taken by every President,” Baumgartner said. “Many people who are saying it’s illegal are also saying people who said nothing when President Obama attacked Libya or said nothing when we were using justifiable military force against the Houthis or many other military operations.”

Smith urges diplomacy; Baumgartner warns of economic disruptions

Smith preferred Trump pursue a peaceful and diplomatic resolution.

“Diplomacy is not his thing. He believes in raw power. So, I think he envisions himself as the president that’s going to finally rid the world of the Iranian regime,” he said. “Just because you don’t get what you want diplomatically doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to go to war. And I sure as hell hope that we don’t start reaching that conclusion as a matter of public policy.”

Baumgartner expects possible short-term economic disruptions, including higher gas prices. He also warned about the potential for retaliatory terror attacks.

“Obviously, in the short term, there can be economic disruptions and security disruptions,” Baumgartner said, accusing the Biden administration’s immigration policy of allowing 90 individuals, he claimed, who are affiliated with Iranian Hezbollah terrorist groups to enter the U.S. “We think there are other Iranian terrorist groups in the country. Many of you may remember that Iranians were linked to an assassination attempt at the Saudi ambassador in Washington, DC, a few years ago, and Iranian-backed terrorist groups have done things like bomb a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires.”

Both Lawmakers voice support for service members

Both congressmen praised the efforts of military service members.

“Regardless of how I feel about the wisdom of this attack, I 100% support our troops and want to help them in any way that we can in this time,” Smith said.

“It does underscore the threat to our men and women in uniform, what they do every day,” Baumgartner said. “We have between 40 to 50,000 American men and women in uniform in the Middle East, and they play an important role for us, but they do sacrifice a lot, including potential security, so it’s something that we hold dear.”

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