Iranian NTNU-student says she finally have hope that it will be as safe in Iran as it is in Norway.
Kiana has wanted a free Iran her entire life, and now that possibility is closer than ever. - I’m only saddened that the help did not come sooner, she says.Foto: Kristoffer Ramsøy Fredriksen
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Since the demonstrations against the Iranian regime began in early January, the Iranian people have wanted military assistance, says NTNU student Kiana.
Universitetsavisa has chosen to only use her first name due to the ongoing conflict.
- Our first reaction was relief and cautious hope, because we have been fighting this regime for forty years, and we have tried everything to get rid of it.
She says that when the United States and Israel launched their attack on Saturday, she called all her friends to share her joy that this support had finally arrived.
- Then, less than 24 hours later, we could see videos of people dancing in the streets while missiles flew overhead, celebrating the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, she says, explaining that for many Iranians, Khamenei and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) represents decades of violence and oppression, so the relief that this chapter may soon be over was immense.
Behnam Rosti, a doctoral fellow at the Department of Energy and Process Engineering, whom UA interviewed in the aftermath of the January demonstrations, believes this is a widely shared view among large parts of the Iranian diaspora.
- We are overjoyed and are celebrating the news of Ayatollah Khamenei’s death. For decades, he has been the chief architect of the oppression that has cost tens of thousands of Iranians their lives, through executions, the crushing of protests, and support for destructive policies at home and abroad, he says.
- What makes me sad is that this help is coming very late. We have asked the free world for help for many years, and until now no one has come to Iran’s rescue, says Kiana.
Behnam Rosti hopes the United States can help Iran the same way they helped post-war EuropeFoto: Kristoffer Ramsøy Fredriksen
Grateful to the United States
Rosti says that the news of the U.S. attack on the Iranian regime came at a particularly symbolic moment.
- We were holding a demonstration in Trondheim’s main square to support the ongoing student movements inside Iran when the news broke. People shouted slogans in gratitude for these actions, because they are seen as being directed at the mullahs and the structures of the regime, not at the Iranian people or the nation as such.
He explains that, for them, the United States is a friendly country helping their nation regain its freedom.
- In exactly the same way that the United States supported democratic transitions in postwar Germany and Japan, or in Eastern Europe when communism fell, he says.
Kiana comperes the situation to a cancer treatment.
- It's tough for the body, but the hope is that the cancerous cells will be removed and the body will be healthy again.
47 years of brutality, economic collapse, and shattered hopes
- We are realistic: overthrowing this regime will not be clean or painless. More lives will unfortunately be lost in the process, including civilians, says Rosti.
Kiana understands that as well.
- I feel worried for all my friends and family, but honestly I was more worried when the protests were taking place a couple of months ago than I am now. Because the regime kills innocent and unarmed people. It is very different from the United States and Israel, which kill IRGC forces.
However, that does not mean it is always possible. BBC recently reported that a school in Iran was hit by American bombs; the school was located right next to one of the IRGC’s military bases. A U.S. investigation concluded that it was American bombs that struck the school, The New York Times reports.
Rosti says that there have been 47 years of brutality, economic collapse, and shattered hopes. But the regime has not reformed itself from within.
- That is why many of us feel that this level of decisive external pressure, together with internal protests, may be the only realistic path to a free, democratic Iran, he says.
She is clear that the reason many asked for support was that the demonstrators were facing a regime that responds to peaceful demonstrations with military weapons and violent repression, not because they expect other countries to bring democracy to Iran.
- The Iranian people have resisted and protested for many years, and the future of our country must ultimately be decided by Iranians themselves.
Both of them have faith in Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and his plan to serve as a temporary transitional leader until Iran is stable enough to hold a democratic election, a process intended to take 18 to 36 months and which the Crown Prince has written about in the «Iran Prosperity Project» (IPP).
- We believe that we can rebuild this country from the ground up. I know that there is concern in the world that it could go the same way as Libya or Iraq. But I do not think that will happen to us in the future, Kiana says.
She herself wants a constitutionally monarchy, but not all of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi’s supporters want that.
- But we all agree that he should be the leader during this transition period.
Everyone must be given security
When Kiana is asked what will happen to those who support the IRGC if the regime falls, she replies that she believes a distinction must be made between those who have committed abuses and those who have mainly benefited from the system.
- In every part of the world, you will find people who support terrorists. We know that people who support the IRGC receive advantages, both economically and socially. But if they themselves have done nothing wrong and can live peacefully, then of course they should be allowed to live in Iran, she says.
Kiana also emphasizes that any transition will be demanding, and that many are worried about insecurity and chaos in the period after a regime change. Even so, she says she hopes that a clear plan for transitional governance can contribute to stability.
- I hope that, with Reza Pahlavi and his plan for how we are going to handle all the problems we will face after the regime falls, we can have security, says Kiana.
Must listen to Iranian voices
Behnam Rosti believes that the debate in Europe often becomes too one-dimensional.
- Many Iranians, both inside the country and in the diaspora, see the Islamic Republic as the primary source of violence and instability in our lives. Supporting the regime under the banner of anti-war activism does not reflect the demands of those who have risked their lives for freedom, he says.
He asks European activists and the media to listen more to Iranian voices, and warns against framing the situation as a pure great-power conflict.
- If European activists and media truly want to stand with the Iranian people, I hope they will listen closely to Iranian voices and avoid framing this solely as a geopolitical conflict between states. For us, this is about the future of our country and the possibility of a free and democratic Iran, says Rosti.
For Kiana, the desire for political change is also about something fundamental: security in everyday life.
- As an Iranian in Norway, I feel safe. That is how I want to feel in Iran as well. I know it will take time, but if the regime falls, we can have hope and begin building toward that future, says Kiana.
