Iranian woman in Newcastle says 'it is not a war, it is a rescue operation'

Samira Dehghanazad fled Iran in 2022, fearing for her safety at the time, and is now hopeful that the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei can bring lasting change to her nation.

On Monday, Sir Keir Starmer said that his government did not believe in “regime change from the skies” as he stood by the decision for the UK not to join the USA and Israel’s initial strikes on Iran.

More than 700 people have reportedly been killed since the bombing campaign was launched last Saturday, including at least 100 children in a strike on a school.

But Samira, who has lived in Newcastle for two years with her husband and son, is among members of the Iranian diaspora in the UK who have celebrated the ayatollah’s death, despite the complex emotions the war has stirred.

The 40-year-old told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that she was sad to see her country under bombardment and worried about her family, including her parents, in the city of Shiraz.

But, having seen thousands of Iranians killed by the country’s security forces during the recent crackdown on protests, she believes the intervention is justified and hopes it carries on “until the whole regime is gone”. Estimates reported by Time and The Guardian have suggested that the death toll from the protests, which began in late December last year, could be more than 30,000.

Samira was deputy manager of a school in Iran but was forced to flee after she was targeted for helping students who were protesting against the government in 2022.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “To be honest, it is a bittersweet situation for us. From our point of view now, this is not an attack, it is not an assault, it is not a war – it is a rescue operation from most Iranians’ point of view. And it is not just a rescue operation for 90 million Iranians who support the removal of this dictatorship, it is a rescue for the entire planet.”

Samira added: “I don’t want to see any sort of war. But from my point of view it is not a war, it is a rescue. I am happy with what Donald Trump has done. For 47 years people have been held hostage by this dictatorship regime and he has destroyed the head of the snake. That was like a dream for us.

“The full responsibility for any innocent person who is hurt or whose life is taken [in the war] lies solely with the Islamic Republic of Iran, from my point of view. Not with any other person or country.

“If a school is attacked, the responsibility lies with the regime that has turned schools into military bases. If a hospital is attacked, it is because underground space in the hospitals has been turned into military spaces and meeting points for the leaders.

“It is hard to make people [in the UK] understand what is happening. This regime is not just awful for us, they are funding terrorism around the world. They are scary for everyone. We just want basic human rights – freedom of speech, freedom of choice, freedom to live.”

Samira does not know where her parents are now or whether they are safe, as she has been unable to contact them since Saturday.

There have been reports of explosions in Shiraz in recent days, a city Samira calls the “most beautiful in the world”, but she says that she would be even more afraid if the US and Israel had not engaged in the conflict.

She told the LDRS: “I am scared and I have read today that they have started more bombing in Shiraz. But if this regime is still in place then it means that those kind of attacks will come from the regime and not from other countries.

“I am worried for my parents. They are old, there is nobody to care for them. I really get upset about this, but if this regime remains then it means they will continue to be held hostage.”

Having sought asylum in the UK after leaving Iran, Samira later came to Newcastle to study. She has continued to work in the city after graduating.

She told the LDRS that she understood why people in Britain might “not want to be involved in war”, with the Prime Minister having told MPs this week that the government remembered the “mistakes of Iraq”.

But she says the cause of fellow Iranian activists who opposed the ayatollah is “not only fighting for democracy in Iran, we are fighting for the end of terrorism in Europe and other countries”.

Samira would like to see Reza Pehlavi, the son of the former Shah of Iran, installed in interim charge of the country before democratic elections can be held.

US President Donald Trump has urged Iranians to rise up and “take back your government”.

Despite the terrifying scenes of protesters being massacred in Iran just weeks ago, Samira believes that “very brave” dissidents would take to the streets again.

However, she added: “The problem is that there is bombing everywhere and the regime is attacking with weapons. The people are unarmed. That is a problem and because of that they are asking for help.”