From Los Angeles to New York, the Iranian diaspora took to the streets en masse to denounce the Tehran regime's bloody response to the recent popular protests. Between personal grief and calls for international intervention, the demonstrators expressed unprecedented exasperation.

A human toll that is outrageous

The movement, which began in late December to protest inflation, has descended into horror. Protesters in the United States are now openly using terms like "genocide" or "holocaust" to describe the repression by the Revolutionary Guards.

1. Heartbreaking testimonies: Perry Faraz, in exile since 2006, testifies to the loss of a young cousin, less than 10 years old, killed during the gatherings.
2. A grim uncertainty: While Tehran has cut off internet access, casualty figures vary but are expected to be catastrophic. NGOs and the opposition are suggesting a death toll ranging from 3,000 to 20,000 .

The Donald Trump dilemma: Savior or manipulator?

In the marches of Los Angeles (nicknamed "Tehrangeles"), "Make Iran Great Again" caps are everywhere. Part of the diaspora is placing its hopes in Donald Trump, hoping for targeted military action against Iranian power centers.

However, the figure of the American president is divisive:

1. Those in favor of a hard line: Some want immediate strikes or the elimination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
2. Critics , like the poet Karim Farsis, denounce Washington's hypocrisy. She points out that economic sanctions weigh heavily on the people and that the "Travel Ban" paradoxically prevents threatened Iranians from seeking refuge in the United States.

What future for Iran? A fragmented opposition

The question of the post-regime era is reviving old divisions within the diaspora.

1. Imperial nostalgia: Many protesters are calling for the return of Reza Pahlavi , son of the last Shah, wishing to establish a secular constitutional monarchy.
2. The fear of the past: This desire for restoration clashes with memories of the repression carried out by Pahlavi's father, creating sometimes violent tensions between the different opposition factions.
3. Self-determination: For some, like restaurateur Roozbeh Farahanipour, change must come from within, without the West seeking to impose a "puppet" at the head of the country.

What this text teaches us

This mobilization illustrates the profound disconnect between the mullahs' regime and its diaspora, while highlighting the geopolitical complexity of a people seeking their freedom between the anvil of internal repression and the hammer of foreign influences.