MILWAUKEE — As the United States and Israel launched major strikes on Iran early Saturday, some members of Milwaukee’s Iranian community watched developments unfold from thousands of miles away.
According to NBC News, the coordinated attacks targeted Iranian military and nuclear sites, raising concerns about potential retaliation and broader regional conflict.
Watch: Some Iranians that live in the Milwaukee area have mixed feelings about Saturday's airstrikes on Iran by the U.S. and Israel.
In a quiet corner at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, three Iranian doctorate students followed live updates and videos from abroad, reacting in real-time.
“For me, it was a breath of fresh air,” Parya Payami, a doctoral student at UWM, said. “I was crying with happy tears and also shaking.”
She said her reaction is rooted in years of nationwide protests and opposition to the country’s ruling Islamic Republic.
All three students said they had mixed emotions, ranging from sadness to relief to hope.
“The strongest one for me is happiness. Of course, I am sad for all the people in Iran who were killed over the past two months and over the past five decades,” another student, Narges Khodadadi, said.
“But I see justice is coming. This is what we prayed for.”
Khodadadi was able to reach family members in Iran earlier Saturday, who said schools and offices were closed, but they were safe.
Still, she described the moment as larger than her own household, seeing Saturday’s attack as a turning point.
“It’s not about our family. It’s about a nation. The whole world,” Khodadadi said. “We’ve been crying for two months for people we don’t know.”
In Milwaukee, Farshad Sahranavard also followed developments closely. He left Iran at age 15 and still has extended family and friends there.
“For one way I’m happy and one I’m not. Because people are dying,” Sahranavard said.
He said videos he saw circulating online showed some people in Iran celebrating.
“Forty-seven years they were fighting for normal life,” Sahranavard said, referring to Iran’s post-revolution government. “People are celebrating because they’re going to have freedom.”
At the same time, he expressed uncertainty about what comes next.
“Who takes over? Worse or better? We hope for good,” Sahranavard said.
Back at UW-Milwaukee, the students continued scrolling through updates, describing their emotions as a mix of relief and hope.
“We always say in Persian that after darkness there is a bright day,” Zari Fakhri, another doctoral student, said. “That day is coming.”
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