People in Westwood, Los Angeles, celebrated in the streets after news of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's death, according to multiple reports. This neighborhood is the heart of Tehrangeles, an area with signs in Farsi, Persian ice cream bars, shops, restaurants, and bookstores. Los Angeles is home to more than 140,000 Iranians who fled after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and Westwood has the largest Iranian population outside of Iran. The community's focal point is Persian Square at the corner of Westwood Boulevard and Wilkins Avenue, where the celebrations unfolded, according to local sources.
Symbols of opposition to the Islamic Republic were prominently displayed during the gatherings. Posters featuring Reza Pahlavi, son of the former Shah, were seen in the streets of Tehrangeles this week, according to eyewitness accounts. Large posters saying 'Make Iran Great Again' with the historical Iranian lion and sun flag were seen on Westwood Boulevard, as reported by community members. A memorial to Mahsa Amini, whose death in 2022 sparked nationwide protests, also stands in the area, serving as a reminder of the domestic resistance that has challenged the regime, based on local observations.
It sounds maybe strange, but we asked for it. We asked for Trump to do something.
For many in the diaspora, the news from Iran is deeply personal. Asal, a 21-year-old Iranian who fled to the US a year ago, works as a hostess at a Persian restaurant in Los Angeles, she described. She is afraid to show her face because news spreads quickly to the Iranian regime, and her family remains in Iran, Asal explained. Asal previously participated in protests in Iran, where she saw people disappear, experienced internet shutdowns, and had friends arrested and held for months without their families knowing, she recounted. She fled to Southern California where she already had relatives, seeking safety from the repression she witnessed, according to her account.
Among some Iranian-Americans in Tehrangeles, there is strong support for a more direct US military role. Some support a larger 'boots-on-the-ground' US presence in Iran, and some are worried that if the US doesn't place more 'boots-on-the-ground,' a more radical faction might take over Iran, according to community interviews. Asal described that people in Iran could not overthrow the regime on their own and needed outside help. Maryam Farahzadi described that she has come to the conclusion that the only way to get rid of this regime is for someone from the outside to intervene.
Many say that the US only looks after its own interests. That's true. We know it. We don't live in any fantasy world. We understand that it's a power game, a give and take – but it's better than nothing.
This support is rooted in profound criticism of the regime they fled. Mohammed Ghafari described the Ayatollah as having destroyed his country with his dictatorship in Iran. Milad Dylan described the dictatorship as having murdered tens of thousands, he stated. These views reflect a deep-seated belief among many exiles that the Islamic Republic's rule has been catastrophic for Iran and its people, based on their accounts.
The US domestic political context adds another layer of complexity to the situation. Lawmakers are set to vote this week on a resolution to limit President Trump's military operations, indicating congressional unease about the escalation, according to political reports.
Many of us have been waiting for this for almost 50 years. People were here in the streets celebrating the Ayatollah is dead because of President Trump. The Ayatollah destroyed my country with his dictatorship in Iran and we had no allies around us except for President Trump. It will take months or more to overthrow this regime, but my hope is Iran will finally be free.
Despite the celebratory mood among some, there is skepticism about American motives. Asal described that Trump's motives are not about freeing the Iranian people but about security and US interests, she expressed.
Monarchist sentiment also surfaces within the community's political aspirations. Mohammed Ghafari described that most people in Tehrangeles and Iran, he thinks, want the son of the Shah to return because the people didn't realize how good the Shah was for Iran, he claimed.
Most people in here and in Iran, I think, want the son of the Shah to come back because the people didn't realize how good the Shah was for Iran. But how will that happen? We are hoping and believing it will change but the people [in Iran] need weapons to fight.
Religious persecution under the regime has driven many into exile, shaping their views. Milad Dylan left Iran 13 years ago after converting to Christianity, according to major media reports.
A critical perspective warns against placing too much hope in external intervention. Reza Aslan, a Tehran-born author based in Los Angeles, expressed concern in the New York Times about hopefulness among LA's exiled Iranians regarding the war. He wrote that the US will not save Iran and that Iran's future will not be written in Los Angeles cafes or dictated by bombings ordered from thousands of miles away, according to his published commentary.
The US will not save Iran. Iran's future will not be written in Los Angeles cafes or dictated by bombings ordered from thousands of miles away.
Significant unknowns remain about the situation on the ground in Iran. The exact number of casualties from the US and Israeli strikes on Iran has not been confirmed, nor have the specific military targets hit in the strikes been detailed. The current status of the Iranian regime's leadership and stability after Ayatollah Khamenei's death is unclear, leaving open questions about potential succession struggles or internal power shifts.
Further uncertainties surround the potential for deeper US involvement. The timeline and likelihood of a 'boots-on-the-ground' US presence in Iran are undetermined, contingent on both military assessments and political decisions in Washington. Similarly, the extent of support within Iran for external intervention versus internal resistance is not fully known, making it difficult to gauge how the population might respond to prolonged foreign military action.