Well, so I'm Marissa.
I was the one texting you
I'm Frederica.
Nice to meet you, Frederica,
I'm just wondering whether
there is any delay in the
video call.
Is everything okay?
Yeah, it looks and sounds
good.
We were just discussing a little
technical matter and
yeah.
Do you see that?
I did.
I was just wondering about the
background, if I have to blur
that.
No, it looks good.
It looks very good.
Are you able to
rotate it
slightly to your
right?
Yeah. Just to center you
back a little bit.
Oh, OK. Maybe.
Yeah.
I got it.
That looks.
And then tilt
the camera down just ever so
slightly.
Yeah, she is so
particular just have to tell you she
does this
Just let me know whatever
it is, I have no
idea about that.
You look fabulous, I love your
glasses.
Thank you so much, many thanks.
Really quick, I'm gonna check with
our engineers who are recording
this and just make sure they're
all ready to go before we, we
don't wanna make you have to answer
a question twice.
Andrew and Andy, how are you guys
doing?
Okay, we'll keep chatting with
Zara. Yeah, take your time, it's
okay.
Yeah, we will.
I opposed from the time because
in this way I'm pretty chill and
right now I'm not in Milwaukee,
I'm in Los Angeles so
yeah because uh
two days ago it was uh
the FIFA game match between
Iran and New Zealand yeah so
there are a lot of I know it should
not be political but for Iranians
also the football match
as you call it soccer match it's
kind of political as well so
kind of, there is a vibe also here,
so that's what I'm saying.
Yeah, I was rooting for
Iran, totally
rooting for Iran and it was tied,
right? Isn't that what happened in
that game?
Yeah, but the point is that
it's so complex,
because the point is this,
the people who are playing in
football right now and they're
in highest level, they cannot
be in highest level of representing
the country unless they
are operating within
a system that is controlled 100%
by IRGC.
Mm-hmm.
And there are also
other former
football players that right
now they're in prison just for just
one ID story
or post.
So that's being said,
it's kind of complicated because
at the same time we know that
they're supporting IRGC,
but at the time they're
kind of representing the country
as well.
So it's kinda complicated
and it's hard to explain.
No, I know you explained it really
well and it um, so
there I am sitting on my couch
rooting for Iran.
Yeah
Okay, and then really
quick, Sarah, so
you will notice
that we have far
less questions than
Stephen did for you,
and they're pretty simple,
and it's because this
is an update, so it'll be a
little shorter than the first piece
we aired, so we just want to be
cognizant of your time and
know, want you to be able to kind of
guide the conversation where you
want it to go. So just to give you a
little bit of an idea of what we're
what we are looking for.
Thank you, thank you.
Yeah, sure.
All right, I'll back out of the way,
and you guys.
I just am following up on
the football match.
So what was that
like for you and others in
attendance then as
to rooting for that team?
Um, the first priority
for all Iranians right now is
to be the voice of
Iranian people inside Iran and
also showing the whole world that
what is real Iranians
and how we are separating ourselves
from IRGC.
We also consider them as a
tourism, a
tourist community
and I don't know, governor, I
I don't even know what to call them,
honestly, so...
But we are seeing them
as a dictator that are ruling over
our country and we are looking for
freedom and getting rid of that
and topple that IRGC
from our country.
And that's the good thing for also
the whole region, across the region
also, as you're saying the
consequences of them being there
because we want
to show the world that
Iranian people are peaceful
people as we have been since
2500 years ago till now.
We are also want
to get rid of them.
So anytime after what has happened
during January and the
slaughter and the massacre that
happened in Iran
and more than 40,000 people
died in just two days, we
just want to be their worries, any
chance, any time and
anywhere we're trying to be there.
And the good thing was that
LA and Los Angeles is one
of the main centers
of Iranian communities outside
of Iran.
More than two or three millions
Iranians are living here and also
there are a lot of Iranians around
the US. So they all try to
be there, not only inside a stadium,
but also if they didn't have any
tickets, they could have stand
outside of the stadium and
trying to show the real flag of
Iran and trying to chant
for Iranians and trying be their
voice and talking about what has
happened during the January, the two
days that
the virtual regime blocked down
the whole country.
And even during the war, they were
blocked down.
And no internet, nothing in 2006
for Iranian.
So we just want
to inform everyone.
We want to say that what has happen,
I don't know, during the world war
or any other brutal course
of history.
The same thing has happened to
Iranians right now in Iran.
And also there are a lot of
things that are happening in other
countries, although we're seeing
them as our friend countries,
but there are lot of bad things that
are so happening today.
I mean, like Lebanon or
Kuwait or Emirates,
any other country there is seeing
all the consequences of
IRGC being in power.
So that's the main
thing that we do, even during
the time of FIFA.
We are also seeing that political
for ourselves, because we are in
constant war, and the negotiation,
argument, and all of these things,
till the time the IRGC's and power
has no meaning for any Iranians.
Thank you.
And we are recording, right?
Okay. Well, I want to
start by asking
you what kind of relief you
feel that there is an agreement over
this war that could be
over?
As I mentioned,
Iranians are in constant war
while the IRGC is in
power.
And the IRJC
has repeatedly failed in
any agreement with any country,
with any group or community.
So that's why for
Iranians there is no longer hope
or believing in
any agreements that is done by
these people.
We do not trust them, we do not
believe in them, and we are not
seeing any progress because for
47 years they have shown themselves.
So we also do
not think that it's a real agreement
and we do nothing that
it is a thing either for them.
They're also saying in their
official televisions that
every agreement or any negotiations
with other countries, especially
USA or Israel, is a piece of paper
for them, I think that's the
only truth that they always
mentioned.
Yeah, that is it for them.
And we do not believe that
it's going to change anything.
Maybe we are not seeing anything
going back in 24
hours right now, but in
a couple of months or a couple of
years we will see everything.
We're coming back to the same spot
that we have been before the
agreement. So there is no change.
Through the course of this
war with
the U.S.
And Israel and Iran,
how did the Iranian people fair.
It was a roller coaster for all
of us, because it's
not acceptable to
see your country
being bombed or being
under a strikes.
But at the same time,
the wildest thing that I've heard
from many Iranians is
that we are
even okay with that if
the day after bombing or
strikes, we see free
Iran and there is no IRGC
and they topple.
So that was the only
thing that we were looking for.
Although we were all full of fear.
We were all worried about our family
members, relatives.
There have been a lot of lives that
lost, but we were
thinking that we are always
paying all of the cost for
this as the IRGC
is paying any cost for just being in
power.
So we were hoping that
after that, maybe they
can get weakened or they can.
Be stopped or we can get rid
of them by killing a lot of
main top levels of
the IRGC but right
now I think after all of the things
and complications that has happened
they got even more confident because
they faced
the war with Israel
and United States I cannot
call any other country who is more
powerful in military
services or powers in
this kind of matter but now
they said that we won't over.
Israel. We won't over the United
States.
So I think the
worst thing that I could see
after the war was seeing
them getting more confident.
That's the worst things that I can
see.
As you watched it
from afar and had
loved ones inside Iran,
what did you think about how the war
unfolded through the
weeks?
Yeah,
I mean, about the emotionally or
about the
what in what matter in what
perspective be made.
Emotionally, you did describe it as
a roller coaster,
but also kind of tactically,
you know? And you spoke to that as
well, about how
Iran is
not likely to uphold
this agreement.
But what did you think about the
way it went down?
As a person who lives also
in the United States and I'm also a
taxpayer for more than five years
and seeing a
lot of American friends
around me and talking with them and
also other Iranian Americans
after that, the
agreement that has happened and
that we have heard that there's
going to be a lot of money that
they're going to get after
this agreement, I don't know whether
it's right or wrong but.
Considering that they are getting
the money and they're getting
another fund so they
get more power financially as
well so they are able to
Do everything that they have done
and if there was anything that they
had to step back now There are
more powerful to step in
and continue that for example for
having a lot of factories of
missiles and they had a lot
places that I
can I Did not
have any idea about that after
till after the war that a
lot of information came out.
So they can do that, they can
fund all of the proxies in Lebanon,
Iraq and Palestine
and all of those places.
They used to keep going on with
that. So it unfolded a lot
things in that matter after
the negotiation and also after the
war, we realized that
because we see Iran a very
wealthy country, it is a wealthy
country.
It has oil, gas, a lot thing, you
call it, they have it.
And we were seeing that the people
are struggling with poverty,
fluctuations, a lot of things.
And after the war, we got a lot of
information about how they have
built a lot of factories in the
mountain, in a lot of places,
just having factories of missiles,
a lot things.
So it
could tell us that where the money
would go.
So they had the money, they
used that.
And at the same time right now,
we're seeing they get in other
funds. So.
It scares me, honestly, as an
Iranian. And also we, as
Iranians, we warn all the word and
that the threat of IRGC is
not just for inside Iran,
but also it happens for other
countries and across the region.
As we saw during the war, it was
not just between Israel and Iran or
between US and Iran.
We saw other countries across the
origin, they faced it, even in
Kuwait, even a Bahrain and
a lot of countries they had a
strike. So it
shows the real face.
So I think that just
seeing how they reacted and how
they're doing and what
they have done just
tells the whole story.
So I don't understand how
we can call something like an
agreement with these people.
So given all of that,
the provisions of the agreement
about the money
that it accrues
to Iran, where does
that leave the resistance
inside Iran and
outside the
people?
We are full of hope.
It has been for 47 years.
I mean, I'm not the generation
at the time that they were
protesting or they were fighting
against IRGC.
I'm the second generation of that.
And I know the third generation are
right now joining us everywhere,
even in social media, TikTok,
Instagram. So I don't see that
anyone has lost their
hope.
We are fool of hope because we
read the history.
There is no dictatorship that they
can last long.
They can be there forever.
And at the same time, it's
so confusing for us because
we see that they faced
Israel
and USA and still they're there.
I don't have any education
about the military service and all
of these kinds of things, but at
the similar thinking that if Israel
and the USA didn't, could not,
or they didn't want, or didn't
have the chance to stop them or
weaken them.
What can I expect from my
people bare-hand?
So the only thing is
trying to show the world what is
happening inside Iran and
reporting everyone who is in
prison, who is lost,
who was killed and
just try to not stop it.
And I'm seeing people inside Iran
super-rave.
Even the youngest one at the 14,
13, they're in prison, but they're
still not stopping saying what
they are thinking of and how they
are against the regime and how their
against the dictatorship.
I don't think that they're going to
stop, especially inside Iran.
And we get all of this trends from
people inside Iran, how they're
trying so hard, even when they were
under blackout, how they could get
to the internet.
I mean, so hard they were
doing their best just to get
connections with outside of
Iran trying to communicate
with all of us and telling what is
happening inside Iran.
So I don't see those people going
to stop at any time or
any time in the future
until they're saying that IRGC
is gone.
So it's the same for us
outside of Iran.
We're not going to stop it.
We are literally protesting
and going outside and chanting
every weekend.
Every city, we do have a group
of people that are trying to be
their voice and it has
stopped since January and I don't
think it's going to stop ever till
we're seeing them gone.
Is there anything you'd like to add
on this?
Um, I want, um,
just the people around the world,
um to see the reality and
try to stand, uh,
with Iranian people.
Um, it's just, it,
what we want is our freedom
and their dignity.
And it's something that should be
supported and, uh they're
seeing the human rights for Iranian
people, so do
not stand with IRGC.
And do not let the terrorism
group to tell
you what's going on and they are
having power over anything,
even the price of oil and gas.
I don't want to see that happening
in any other places in
the whole world.
And that's the only thing
that's going to help to have
a better world, a world without
IRGC.
So I'm just gonna back up there a
little bit. And you said that your
hope is that people see the reality.
What is the reality?
Reality is that Iranian people
are peaceful people.
There are There are so
much into human rights and there
are brave people They are
doing their best for everyone even
they want peace for everyone around
the Middle East that they're facing
right now Although we were under
a lot of hard attacks
I mean like strikes inside
Iran and we had a lot relatives
there but at the same time seeing
Emirates and Kuwait and
Lebanon being under strike just
because of IRGC
was really breaking
our hearts. We could not stop
thinking about other people as well.
So the reality is that we're just
not seeing the humanity
just inside Iran, but also we
are seeing that in everywhere.
And also we're worried about other
countries, not only just the Middle
East. So we are trying to
warn the whole world.
We don't want to see the day
that they're getting closer to
other places and other countries.
That's what really matters to
all of us.
Anything you want to add?
No, I just want to confirm.
Can you pronounce your
first and last name and how to spell
it?
Yes, Zora Z-A-R-A
in factry F-A K-H-R
I.
And then can you
just make sure we have the right
kind of information
about you? Are you still a PhD
student? Is that right?
Yeah, I'm a PhD and also
teaching undergrads at UWM
and business school.
Wow good for you
thank you yeah
wow well you know it's um
it strikes me and i don't want to
keep it too much longer because
you're you're generous with your
time but um
the strikes may have stopped
may have stop um
but that isn't
i mean that's good
right but it's
That's what I'm saying.
Some of the things that we are
talking as Iranians, I
believe that no one can understand
it unless they're Iranian.
I do feel them,
because you don't want to
strike for anywhere in this world.
It doesn't make sense, but if
you see that the strike goes to kill
those people and weaken that
terrorist activity, yes,
you want that.
That's how we're saying that.
But based on the news that I'm
following, we do have a lot of local
channels that there are people from
inside Iran that they're informing
people outside of Iran.
There are a lot things that's still
going on in the southern part of
Iran, and they have heard a lot,
I mean, some strikes
going on in the Southern
part, like the Keshm Island and
the Southern cities, so.
I'm not sure what's going on and
no one is sure, but we are just
hearing from locals that what's
happening and what they're hearing.
So I don't think it's going to
be stopped any
time soon.
It might be on pause.
That's what I'm saying.
That, but it will be continued very
fast because the
people that we are negotiating
with and the people that are on the
other side, they do
not. Want anything
and their determination
do anything at
any cost just to preserve the power
there.
So they do anything
so there is no stop.
Are you feeling relieved that
you can speak to your family
now without hurdles
or barriers?
Honestly, they
opened a blackout on 26th
of May after
almost 90 days.
But the internet is still so
slow over there.
However, it's the
basic thing that you're asking to
have. I mean,
the bare minimum is to be able to
call your family inside
Iran, just internet that's
It's a bare minimum, but yeah, as
a bare minimum, yes, we are happy
that right now the blackout is
over for now.
Yeah.
Well, thank you for
your insights.
It's really important.
Thank you so much.
Thank you for having me.
So I can
update you when we have this
on our program and I can
send you the link and
you have my phone
number so just text me if you have
any questions.
Many thanks, Susan.
Feel free to reach out to me at any
time.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
Thank you, Sarah.
Thank you too.
Bye.