Amid the rain and cold, Iranian Americans gathered near the White House on Saturday in solidarity with protests across Iran.
What began as Iranian merchants protesting an economic collapse has evolved into widespread calls for regime change and political reform, spreading beyond Tehran and prompting the deployment of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
At least 65 protesters have died in the Islamic republic.
The D.C. rally’s mission is threefold: urge U.S. policymakers and the American public to stand with the Iranian people, deter further crackdowns and hold Iran’s clerical leadership accountable.
The American protesters chanted “Freedom in Iran” and “Regime change in Iran by the people of Iran” while waving posters of the dozens of Iranians killed in recent weeks.
Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, praised the protesters in Washington for standing alongside those in Iran sacrificing their lives every day.
“All over the country, the call is for regime change, down with the dictator, long live freedom,” he said to the crowd. “Today is the 14th day of the uprising that is only gaining momentum every single day and every single moment. Nothing has been able to stop the people of Iran from driving for change in Iran, and they will succeed.”
Majid Sadeghpour, a volunteer for the rally’s host, the Organization of Iranian American Communities, said the protesters are in the U.S. capital to express support for those fighting against the regime.
Mr. Sadeghpour said he was 13 years old when the 1979 revolution toppled the shah.
“What I see in the streets of Iran occurring, it’s almost a reenactment of what happened when I was a young man,” he said, adding that the same bravery and courage are playing out now, although this time it’s against the mullahs.
One woman who joined the rally, Joanne McIntosh, came to the U.S. in 1981 to escape the Iranian regime that executed the father of her children.
“I believe we’ve reached a turning point. I cannot guarantee that they’re going to be able to overthrow the regime. I certainly hope they will,” she said. “But I believe it’s open war right now.”
President Trump and Congress have expressed support for protesters and threatened to intervene if the killing of protesters continues.
“Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before,” Mr. Trump said Saturday on social media. “The USA stands ready to help!!!”
The Iranian government’s reaction has turned from violent to harsh tech, cutting internet access and telephone lines across the country.
Mandana Roushan, who is part of an Iranian organization in Virginia organized by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, said it is her dream for Iran to be liberated, be free and have democracy.
Aware of what is reported in Iran — no internet access, hospital attacks and riots — she said it’s hard to hear and not want to protest.
“We are always going to be supporting the Iranian people,” said Ms. Roushan, who was born and raised in Iran. “We are always going to be in the streets, either in Iran or outside, until we see this fascist dictatorship gone.”
These demonstrations, inside and outside the U.S., allow her to be part of the voice of Iran, she said.
Iran’s leader, Ali Khamenei, said Friday that his government would “not back down” and dubbed the protesters vandals trying to “please” Mr. Trump.
The D.C. protesters on Saturday repeatedly shouted in unison, “Down with dictator, down with Khamenei.”
Mickey Mohammadi, who joined her mother, Ms. Roushan, said that what differentiates these protesters from others is that they are skeptical of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s former shah, who advocates for democracy.
“But if we allow him to take rule again, will it be another monarchy? Because if that’s the case, then all five, six decades of fighting would be for nothing just to go back to square one,” she said.
She pointed to dissident leader Maryam Rajavi’s 10-point plan from 2006 that outlines a transitional government, adding that Mr. Pahlavi has no legitimate blueprint.
“The Iranian people are, as we see, taking to the street to support because that is what they’re trying to do: change this regime in its entirety, not reform it, not change any version of it, but all of it,” Mr. Sadeghpour said.
Amid this uprising, Ms. Mohammadi described the younger generation’s involvement as “liberating.”
“Even the youth themselves, they feel that they can’t provide for their family like they’re supposed to, because when you grow up, you’re supposed to take care of your mom and your dad. But now it feels like the youth doesn’t feel like they have that capability,” Ms. Mohammadi said. “So they’re going on the streets, risking their lives, because it’s at that point.”
