WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:11.800 Great. Check one, two. Alright. So we have it for the cameras. Could you introduce yourself 00:11.800 --> 00:17.440 and tell us which organization you're with? I'm Zara Fakari and I'm Officer of Iranian 00:17.440 --> 00:29.240 Student Association at UWM. Milwaukee. When and why did you leave Iran? My parents 00:29.240 --> 00:34.160 say love to Iran and it was because of the revolution and also my father was a 00:34.160 --> 00:40.360 political prisoner in Iran because he was against IRGC so we had that kind of 00:40.360 --> 00:44.920 thing in our family so it was better for our safety to not leave there anymore. 00:44.920 --> 00:50.880 Have you ever been there to visit? Yes. When was the last time you were there? 00:50.880 --> 00:57.640 More than six years ago. How would you describe life there before the war began? 00:58.640 --> 01:08.400 People were in Iran we had a lot of uprisings so we were always waiting for a 01:08.400 --> 01:14.720 good moment that people can't get rid of the Islamic regime so what I would 01:14.720 --> 01:19.680 see every time more hope in people's lives and they were waiting for the 01:19.680 --> 01:23.800 moment whenever you would even sitting in the taxis or talking with youth or 01:23.880 --> 01:28.360 old people they would always say that it's pretty close to see the moment that 01:28.360 --> 01:35.320 they're gone and right now I see that even after facing all of these 01:35.320 --> 01:42.040 strikes in the country there are all agreeing in this that living under the 01:42.040 --> 01:48.040 common age dynasty is more horrible and terrifying for them than the threat of 01:48.280 --> 01:53.680 my souls so that's how they see the situation and how they are waiting for 01:53.680 --> 01:58.600 the moment to see the freedom for Iranian people because they not only 01:58.600 --> 02:01.960 thinking about their nation but also the other nations that they're already 02:01.960 --> 02:06.640 getting involved and they have been involved for 47 years so it's something 02:06.640 --> 02:11.240 that's national wallet and it's something that would help everyone to see the 02:11.240 --> 02:17.040 freedom and have a better and safer word and that's all we are thinking of right 02:17.040 --> 02:23.240 now tensions have been building for a while for months between the United 02:23.240 --> 02:27.760 States and Iran what was your reaction when you learned that a military strike 02:27.760 --> 02:36.360 from America and Israel had begun because I was in the all the uprisings it as I 02:36.360 --> 02:40.600 said it was not just started like a couple of months ago but the worst thing 02:40.600 --> 02:46.800 that happened to Iranian people was two months ago that the country was again 02:46.880 --> 02:53.280 under the blackout for more than 10 days we could not hear from them even the 02:53.280 --> 02:58.080 phone lines inside Iran was completely cut it off and people would even neighbor 02:58.080 --> 03:02.080 to neighbor they could not call each other so in that moment they slothered 03:02.080 --> 03:08.320 more than 30,000 people in the country whoever I knew as an Iranian I would 03:08.320 --> 03:11.760 talk to them and they knew someone close to their families relatives or friends 03:11.760 --> 03:19.200 that they lost their lives so we all of these tensions started before whatever 03:19.200 --> 03:24.880 happened with the intervention of any country like Israel or US so we faced 03:24.880 --> 03:31.080 that and we were all depressed and crying our eyes out for more than two 03:31.080 --> 03:36.600 months and after that that the blackout finished we could see what has happened 03:36.600 --> 03:42.760 to Iranian people and then at that moment we tried all diaspora and Iranian 03:42.760 --> 03:46.160 people outside of Iran we tried to be their worries and asking other countries 03:46.160 --> 03:51.960 to help our people because for 47 years we tried different ways with 03:51.960 --> 03:59.000 uprisings we protesting with everything we could not help as our nation we could 03:59.000 --> 04:03.560 not do anything for ourselves the only thing that the most precious thing is 04:03.640 --> 04:09.720 our lives we lost a lot of lives we do not have anything more to offer and also we were 04:09.720 --> 04:15.080 saying that other countries are facing some issues with IRGC and Islamic Republic and the 04:15.080 --> 04:20.120 threat is not just for Iranian people they're already kidnapped that's what I see 04:21.960 --> 04:27.960 even right now after 250 hours of blackout they're kidnapped so they're there and the 04:27.960 --> 04:32.280 the other nations are saying everything all of the tourist activities all of the 04:32.280 --> 04:37.080 things that happening and threatening people's lives in other countries if you dig into them 04:37.080 --> 04:42.680 there are some hands of them in that and they're Iran is a very wealthy country they have a lot 04:42.680 --> 04:49.160 of oil and gas and all the money just goes to supporting and funding tourist activities around 04:49.160 --> 04:57.240 the world so we begged for this moment honestly all of the uprisings and all the protests and 04:57.240 --> 05:02.840 rallies that happen even outside of Iran we were mentioning that we need help from 05:02.840 --> 05:09.400 us we were calling the president we were asking all the countries that it could help us so 05:10.040 --> 05:15.560 it was something as an intervention that they could help Iranian people to remove this Islamic 05:15.560 --> 05:21.800 regime and then Iranian people do the job and make the country a free country and taking back 05:21.800 --> 05:33.240 our own country to the the country the real Iran that was for 47 that was in 1979 it was a real 05:33.240 --> 05:38.680 Iran people were always judging Iranian people based on the country that it is right now because 05:38.680 --> 05:45.720 of the government we tried so hard and we are trying so hard to show that we are even kidnapped 05:45.720 --> 05:53.480 by them we are also under pressure of this government so we are Iranians and we are different we don't 05:53.480 --> 06:00.040 have anything to do with all of these activities and war should be a better place also for everyone 06:02.520 --> 06:08.600 so you do support the military action right now yes I do because as I said there was no other way 06:08.680 --> 06:16.040 around what are the discussions you have with other Iranians about the war who are here in 06:16.040 --> 06:23.560 Wisconsin with you we never say that we are not terrified we are we are scared of everything 06:24.280 --> 06:30.360 right now because there are different phases for Iranian people at first we were so happy because 06:30.360 --> 06:35.880 of the intervention that we were waiting for after that we got really happy and thrilled because of 06:35.960 --> 06:41.800 the death of the economy but we all knew that it's not just one person it's systematic we cannot 06:42.360 --> 06:48.280 say that and topple that government down just by killing one person now we are saying that 06:48.280 --> 06:55.400 everything is happening there and they are using Iranian people as human shield they're all getting 06:55.400 --> 07:00.600 hidden in the under the hospitals into schools even I'm seeing the Iranian 07:00.600 --> 07:08.200 Iranian TV that and media inside Iran that they're doing all their interviews exactly in front of 07:08.200 --> 07:13.560 the blackboards of the schools elementary schools so we are worried for our people it's not thinking 07:13.560 --> 07:17.960 about the military that is happening because we see that it's targeted and why the technology 07:17.960 --> 07:24.280 they can choose where to heat and what's happening there and those people who are responsible about 07:24.280 --> 07:30.280 all the things and terrorist activities are at the target but we are scared that as they never 07:30.280 --> 07:38.760 cared about humans lives in Iran they're again doing that at this moment using Iranian's life 07:38.760 --> 07:45.320 as a human shield so that's the most terrifying part for us right now who should lead Iran 07:47.400 --> 07:53.480 whoever Iranian people inside Iran and Iranian people outside of Iran agreeing with 07:53.480 --> 08:00.520 right now what I could hear the same both inside and outside of Iran was Rosa Pallavi 08:01.240 --> 08:07.160 and the everything that they were saying even the last time that Iran was not under 08:07.160 --> 08:14.600 back under the blackout there were a lot of Iranian students that they did protest inside the schools 08:14.600 --> 08:22.280 inside the university they were all chanting Javi Shah which in Persian means we're waiting for 08:22.280 --> 08:30.840 the king so Rosa Pallavi is the previous king son so now everyone is almost most of the higher 08:30.840 --> 08:36.680 percentage of Iranian people are agreeing on him and they're repeating the same sentence together 08:36.680 --> 08:42.120 inside and outside that's what I'm hearing and seeing so do you want free and fair elections 08:42.120 --> 08:51.400 for Iranians yes have you been in contact with family since the war began yes tell us about your 08:51.560 --> 09:07.080 family so it's so emotional it's because of the blackout there's no way to call them 09:09.720 --> 09:18.360 so they're calling us directly by the phone lines and the quality of the call is terrible 09:19.240 --> 09:30.040 what they say is always that we are okay everything is fine and everything will be fine 09:30.600 --> 09:39.000 do not worry about us and they're saying that they're gone they're already gone everything is 09:39.800 --> 09:47.720 finished at least in the minds of all Iranians so we know it's kind of over and we are waiting 09:47.800 --> 09:53.400 for that 24 hours that it happens because based on the history and everything that we read about 09:53.400 --> 10:00.760 other dictatorships everything happens in the last 24 hours they're standing to the last minute 10:01.320 --> 10:09.000 but they will fall down in a minute so what they're sharing is that and they're talking about how 10:09.000 --> 10:15.640 they're using tapes and scotches on the windows because they don't they really do not know 10:16.120 --> 10:22.520 where are they hidden for example my mother-in-law house all the windows shattered down because 10:23.640 --> 10:31.720 her house was close to one of the IRGC centers and by course I mean like more than five miles 10:31.720 --> 10:38.680 or six miles something like that but the point is that we are scary that if they're hidden in the 10:38.680 --> 10:45.080 neighbor in the other apartment beside you we do not know that's most of the times especially 10:45.080 --> 10:54.440 right now that they're targeted by missiles so she was like at first I was scared so bad and 10:54.440 --> 11:01.320 I was screaming and trying to get hidden because in Iran there is no sirens there is no shelters 11:01.320 --> 11:08.120 as I mentioned the government does not care less about human humans lives in Iran so there is nothing 11:08.120 --> 11:14.920 there people are just informing each other and imagine there is no internet so in 21st century 11:15.000 --> 11:18.600 how they can help each other someone is telling the other one or 11:19.320 --> 11:25.640 other opposite way they're just staring at the targets and recording that to just send it out to 11:25.640 --> 11:33.480 outside of Iran if they can but they are pretty sure that if the target the muscles are coming for 11:33.480 --> 11:40.840 targeting IRGC they're safe that's all I know and they feel like this but they're full of hope 11:41.800 --> 11:45.880 is it difficult being separated and not being able to communicate with family 11:47.880 --> 11:53.800 what I learned they could not cut off the line from inside calling from inside to outside 11:53.800 --> 11:58.680 but if I want to call them directly there is no chance and they don't have the internet 11:58.680 --> 12:05.000 either that's an outage nothing so when they call you is the only time you're communicating 12:05.480 --> 12:10.520 yes so yeah we set a time so they will do their best to call at that time in the morning 12:12.040 --> 12:18.760 that's how we can communicate but I'm comparing for example today it was the last I'm going to talk 12:18.760 --> 12:25.320 with them I'm comparing that to like seven days ago the quality of call is terrible and we were both 12:27.000 --> 12:33.160 saying that we guess that they're doing something with phone lines too and one of my other friends 12:33.240 --> 12:38.280 she talked on phone with her family and when she was like crying and asking like how is the 12:38.280 --> 12:43.800 situation because it's so hard from outside all your beloved ones all your family's relatives 12:43.800 --> 12:50.520 even your your own your own country is in a very bad situation it couldn't be worse than this but 12:51.400 --> 12:56.040 she was crying on the phone and when she said how is everything going on there the phone was cut 12:56.040 --> 13:02.760 it off all we you're pretty sure all of our calls are kind of be scanned or they're hearing 13:02.760 --> 13:09.560 what we were saying because they're filtering everything too so okay okay what are your hopes 13:09.560 --> 13:19.000 for family and the other Iranian residents still there I'm comparing my people with other countries 13:19.000 --> 13:24.440 like Ukrainian or other countries that they had the same situation I'm saying that Iranians are 13:24.440 --> 13:31.320 not escaping from the country they're not even going outside of Tehran or because many of my 13:31.320 --> 13:37.480 families are from Tehran in the capital and it was the main target they're staying at homes and 13:38.040 --> 13:43.000 they're not escaping from the country or even the city because they are waiting for better 13:43.000 --> 13:51.640 situation to come and also what I think is that people are like more trusted to 13:53.240 --> 13:58.520 Israel or USA if they're saying just stay at home they're rather to listen to that 13:59.240 --> 14:05.160 because the Iran government IRGC sent a text message to all the phone lines saying that if 14:05.160 --> 14:10.840 you're in Tehran leave Tehran and go to another city that was a text that they sent to Iran and 14:10.840 --> 14:17.880 people and then Iranian people were like okay if the IRGC says that we're not doing that that's 14:17.880 --> 14:24.280 how the scenario works there so I'm saying that they're not afraid they're recording the 14:24.280 --> 14:30.840 missiles coming down they are talking to each other easily and they are not escaping from their 14:30.840 --> 14:38.360 homes so I feel like it's so different from my culture to other cultures because they feel more 14:38.360 --> 14:42.920 belonging to the country and they feel like they have to stay at their homes and they have to 14:44.120 --> 14:49.560 support each other and do not get discouraged and also wait for that moment that's what I see 14:49.560 --> 14:59.000 from outside and as I mentioned the Texas from IRGC right now the Texas that they're receiving 14:59.000 --> 15:05.320 is that they're threatening Iranian people if they come outside and protest or do anything and 15:05.320 --> 15:12.920 there are going at night to people at night would chant from out and from their windows like 15:12.920 --> 15:20.440 death to victor, death to culminate something like this and then they started to walk it I mean 15:21.480 --> 15:29.000 driving around the area in the streets and playing some songs to cover those chanting and after that 15:29.000 --> 15:36.600 it didn't work now they're threatening people while they're driving around the area so now the 15:36.600 --> 15:44.280 situation is changed to threatening Iranian people on TV, on text messages now it's what they're saying 15:44.280 --> 15:51.560 inside. Okay you had said that you do want a regime change where do you stand on foreign 15:51.560 --> 15:59.480 intervention forcing that regime change is that do you support that? I do because after 47 years 16:00.440 --> 16:07.800 if you do have a checklist for getting rid of this regime we have done all the checklists 16:07.800 --> 16:14.040 it was the last option for us and also right now we're agreeing that together because the other 16:14.120 --> 16:21.400 they were saying that imagine after more than 10 days of being bombarded and all of those 16:21.400 --> 16:27.800 missiles to their centers to everything by the most powerful military service in the world like 16:27.800 --> 16:33.720 us and israel they're still there and they're threatening Iranian people how we could do that 16:33.720 --> 16:39.880 with bare hands was there any other option for us we could not see that and as I say the last option 16:39.960 --> 16:46.440 for us was losing more than 40,000 30,000 Iranian people I'm estimating the number because they 16:46.440 --> 16:52.040 would never let us know how many they are some Iranian organization by writing down the names 16:52.040 --> 16:57.080 they could do some estimations and now we know that they were with thousands of Iranian people so 16:57.080 --> 17:02.280 we don't have anything more to offer that's what we are thinking. Okay what are your thoughts about 17:02.280 --> 17:08.040 the anti-war protests here in the United States and those who think that America should not be 17:08.040 --> 17:18.840 waging this war? It's really important for everyone to know a people and talk to the people 17:18.840 --> 17:25.400 and understand those people from their shoes what I really want them if they are looking for 17:25.400 --> 17:32.040 something good for my people it's the best case scenario to ask my people whether is their thoughts 17:32.920 --> 17:39.400 no one says the war is good no one says that I want missiles to come to my country even if I say 17:39.400 --> 17:44.760 that there are IRGC centers there are buildings that they were built in my city in my country 17:44.760 --> 17:51.400 there are precious not only for me but also for my people but if it could help my people to live 17:51.400 --> 17:58.440 better life okay even not thinking about the better life if they can be safe for the next years or 17:59.000 --> 18:07.880 in the future I would like that to happen and also something helpful for other nations too 18:07.880 --> 18:13.160 they have to know what are we fighting with so if there is any other options for them 18:13.960 --> 18:17.400 let us know because we could not find any other solution for our people 18:17.400 --> 18:23.480 for our country for the safety of the Middle East now they can see how the IRGC is reacting 18:23.480 --> 18:30.840 they're bombarding Dubai Emirates it was so surprising for even Iranians that we are we can 18:30.840 --> 18:36.040 expect anything from IRGC there is nothing that you can tell me and I said that no there is a 18:36.040 --> 18:42.440 limit for IRGC there is no limit for them there is no limit in them for killing Iranian people 18:43.000 --> 18:49.080 for human shells there is no limit for them so what we are seeing is the true face of IRGC 18:49.080 --> 18:57.000 please see that and please talk to Iranians we Iranians who have our families are below ones 18:57.000 --> 19:02.680 inside Iran we would definitely know something that you might not feel it and all the scenarios 19:02.680 --> 19:08.760 are not as easy as you might think written on the paper everything might be complex and more 19:08.760 --> 19:19.000 complicated so we are thinking that this regime is more horrifying and more scary than IRGC to stay 19:19.400 --> 19:25.800 in our country that's what we think okay the Trump administration has said the reason 19:25.800 --> 19:30.520 that they began this war is to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons what are your thoughts 19:30.520 --> 19:39.720 on that as a justification for this war based on my my experience they have never said anything 19:39.720 --> 19:46.360 right they were so professionally lying if they have said that they stopped that 100% 19:46.360 --> 19:50.680 it's a lie if you ask any Iranian they would say that they're definitely they're they're lying 19:52.200 --> 19:58.680 so if if they say that they stopped it I believe they did not if they say that they wanted to use 19:58.680 --> 20:05.640 it for peaceful or anything good for human being our 100th person say that it was wrong if 20:07.320 --> 20:15.400 if there is a use of having bombs by having nuclear technology 100% that's what they were 20:15.400 --> 20:22.440 looking for so even if they if they say that they stopped it I would not believe that no 20:22.440 --> 20:28.120 no Iranian would believe that so if any other countries say that no there is some doubts that 20:28.120 --> 20:34.600 they were continuing that and they were progressing on using on a nuclear weapon or something I do 20:34.600 --> 20:41.160 believe that more so there is a good chance for them what resolution are you hoping for in the end 20:41.480 --> 20:53.320 getting rid of Islamic regime Iranian people doing their job to make the country free and having a 20:53.320 --> 21:01.000 secular government and better place and showing the word what is a real Iran and what is real 21:01.000 --> 21:08.440 Iranian people and how it could be a better word with peaceful country in the middle list that's 21:08.440 --> 21:15.720 what we are looking for I've seen some discussion that the Iranian regime is now threatening 21:15.720 --> 21:23.960 Iranians living abroad have you seen or heard that are you concerned um you know you would be 21:23.960 --> 21:29.960 concerned if you it's your first time seeing that we're seeing that every day 21:30.600 --> 21:39.240 Iranian embassy sends a lot of emails to me I can show you there is sending a lot of 21:39.240 --> 21:45.800 Texas to families of people who are who their their daughters or sons or they're 21:46.360 --> 21:51.880 anyone close to them or outside of the Iran and they're right now the last threat was for less 21:51.880 --> 21:58.120 than 48 hours ago that they threat us that they will take over whatever we have inside Iran if 21:58.120 --> 22:02.120 I don't know if we have an appointment in Iran they're going to take it over because of my 22:02.120 --> 22:07.080 activity if I do have I don't know a land or any property that I do have they would take it over 22:07.720 --> 22:13.560 so this was the most recent threat but there are tons and we are every day we're receiving 22:14.360 --> 22:21.400 emails because if you if they can access to you via I don't know Instagram or 22:22.200 --> 22:27.880 Twitter or anything they would do that too so and we are living that life of having threats 22:27.880 --> 22:35.400 every single day you're concerned that attitudes towards Iranian Americans may change as the war 22:35.400 --> 22:41.960 goes on and more American soldiers are hurt or killed honestly what I'm seeing between 22:41.960 --> 22:51.160 Iranian peoples I'm not saying that um I'm gonna say that human lives is depending on their nationality 22:51.240 --> 23:00.280 but we are so so concerned that more non-Iranians losing their lives because we see that it kind 23:00.280 --> 23:07.400 of helped to our nation so what we're praying all the time is that there is less American or 23:07.400 --> 23:14.600 non-Iranian lives to lose their lives in this path and we all appreciating this and we cannot 23:14.600 --> 23:20.680 thank them enough for what they're doing for our nation I know they definitely go into reflect 23:20.680 --> 23:25.960 all other nation's lives too not only Iranians but at this moment we're just 23:26.760 --> 23:34.920 just concerned more lives going to be lost with this so we're hoping that date happens ASAP so 23:36.520 --> 23:45.800 human lives can be saved more not Iranian also but also Americans as well sure okay how old are 23:45.800 --> 23:53.320 you 30 32 32 32 okay um I've asked a lot of questions there anything else that I didn't ask 23:53.320 --> 24:03.400 this important um I'm saying because as a person who is trying to be Iranian's voice we and joining 24:03.400 --> 24:11.080 most of the rallies inside America and being a member of diaspora of Iranians um we are seeing 24:11.080 --> 24:17.400 other groups that they're against us and they're trying to fight against us and kind of stopping 24:17.400 --> 24:23.080 us or even intervening with all the rallies that we are doing and they're supporting IRGCs 24:23.080 --> 24:28.760 even if they don't think that they're doing but they are doing that so what I really want them to 24:28.760 --> 24:36.360 know is that just by supporting Iranian peoples they can fight against IRGC and if they're against 24:36.440 --> 24:43.240 Iranian people outside of Iran or inside of Iran there are indirectly they're supporting IRGC 24:43.800 --> 24:49.720 so I would like them to get more educated on what is the real story what is the real feeling 24:49.720 --> 24:55.480 of Iranians or at least talk to Iranians or read their stories or talk about what's happening in 24:55.480 --> 25:01.960 Iran how is their feelings when they do have parents inside Iran definitely their feeling would be 25:01.960 --> 25:07.720 more realistic than a person who does not have any member of their families than God that they 25:07.720 --> 25:15.320 don't inside Iran so listening to us and trying to understand us although this uh might not make 25:15.320 --> 25:22.840 sense because Noah would look for missiles or war in in their country but if there is something that 25:22.840 --> 25:30.600 we are like trying to get out of that is what the most important thing for us so I would like them 25:30.600 --> 25:38.120 to understand us and also Muslim people around the world I never felt like they're supporting us 25:39.000 --> 25:46.440 Iran has more than 90 percent of Muslims in Middle East so I want them to support Iranian 25:46.440 --> 25:51.480 peoples they're seeing what is happening to other countries even that country with supporting IRGC 25:52.520 --> 25:59.000 like Oman or Qatar or all those they're not still safe so I want them to see the real face and to 25:59.080 --> 26:07.560 understand who and where they have to stand for real peaceful word so that's all I'm asking them 26:07.560 --> 26:13.640 and do not stop us from what we are fighting for okay thank you so much for your time thank you 26:14.600 --> 26:19.320 could I have you say your name against us so I can the pronunciation correct Z-A-R-A 26:20.040 --> 26:28.280 F-A-K-A-R-I okay and how do you say it Zara Fakari Zara Fakari yes okay should we do room tone 26:28.280 --> 26:34.040 Lena I think that's okay it's pretty wide in here I think we're good we're just going to get 26:34.040 --> 26:35.480 some more footage of you