As Iran retaliates and protests erupt abroad, demonstrators at Curtis Hixon Park voice hope for a new future.
TAMPA, Fla. — Twenty-four hours after the United States and Israel launched a military campaign against Iran that resulted in the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with hundreds of others — including three U.S. soldiers — the conflict continued to escalate Sunday.
Overnight, the U.S. carried out additional airstrikes in Iran. The White House took to social media to weigh in on what it described as the power of the U.S. military, praising the work of B-2 stealth bombers armed with 2,000-pound bombs in targeting Iran’s ballistic missile facilities.
Reactions to the bombings have been mixed across the globe.
In Pakistan, protesters stormed the U.S. consulate to protest the American airstrikes in Iran, resulting in at least nine deaths. Elsewhere, the U.S. received support for the strikes, including from the prime minister of Canada.
Iran has retaliated, resulting in strikes across the Middle East and threats of what the country has described as its heaviest defensive attack yet.
Amid the mounting tensions abroad, dozens gathered Sunday afternoon at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in Tampa, where members of the local Iranian community celebrated while expressing concern for loved ones overseas.
Celebration mingled with anxiety as demonstrators said they envisioned a new image of a future Iran they want the world to see.
“We’ve been shouting and crying out to help and we want to help the world. We don’t want the name of Iran to be among the terrorists because it’s not. That’s only the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is not Iran, that is all I want the world to know. We all want the world to know,” said Modona Behjati, who lives in Westchase.
Following the U.S.-Israeli attacks this week, many of the estimated 5,000 Iranians who live in the Tampa Bay area said it was not only their duty to come out and show support — but also their privilege.
“When I moved back to the U.S. and I saw ‘Welcome to America’ in the airplane,” Tampa demonstrator Sheen, who didn’t want to share her full name due to safety, said while getting choked up. “I was blessed to be born in America. Embracing this opportunity but there are so many people that their asylums and they appreciate and they respect the opportunity that they’re in America.”
Cars honked as music played and the American national anthem was sung throughout the park.
In addition to dancing on the sidewalk after what people who have lived in the Tampa Bay area for decades say they’ve waited almost a lifetime to see.
“This is a huge, huge step,” Behjati said. “This may just be the beginning. We all know that, but without this first step, we couldn’t continue.”
“We are so grateful that the ‘Supreme Leader’ is gone now. But we call the Supreme Leader the head of the Octopus. But now it’s a rat because he was hiding himself underground like a rat. I can’t wait for President Trump to come out and say, ‘he died. He died like a rat.’ We can’t wait,” Sheri, Sheen’s older sister, said.
President Donald Trump also called on Iran’s military forces to lay down their weapons and on the nation’s civilians to rise up and quote “take over your government.”
“Without him being behind all this, none of us could ever do this,” Behjati said.
Organizers said more Iran demonstrations and rallies are expected in Tampa over the next few weeks.