Dueling SF rallies for, against bombing Iranian nuclear sites, US involvement

KTVU FOX 2 News at 6 PM

Local Iranian-Americans made their voices heard Sunday about the U.S. getting involved in Iran, in dueling rallies in San Francisco. 

SAN FRANCISCO - Local Iranian-Americans made their voices heard Sunday about the U.S. getting involved in Iran in dueling rallies in San Francisco. 

Protests in San Francisco over U.S. involvement in Iran

Protests over the conflict in Iran got heated Sunday afternoon on the Embarcadero near the Ferry Building in San Francisco. 

San Francisco police intervened to keep the peace between two groups of Iranian-American demonstrators with differing views on President Donald Trump's move to bomb key nuclear sites in Iran. 

What they're saying:

"We praise their actions," said Yasha Rezaei of San Jose. "I applaud the U.S. I applaud Israel for helping us.

"I'm here to just say 'stop bombing Iran', and I'm here to say 'stop arming Israel,'" said Mojgan Saberi of El Cerrito. 

Some are worried that U.S. actions will only make things worse for the Iranian people. 

"It was frightening. It was very sad and frightening," said Saberi. "We should not do this. I mean, more war is just going to cause a lot of damage in the Middle East."

"This is a war between the Islamic Republic government and the Israeli government. However, the innocent people are the ones paying the price," said Ardavan Amini of the group Bay Area 4 Iran. "They're the ones having to suffer, being displaced, having their internet access cut off."

Others see this weekend's bombings as a first step in ousting an oppressive regime. 

"I think Iranians, in general, are actually hopeful," said Karan Khoshcar of Davis. "That the Islamic Republic has weakened enough where they can finally come out and take their government back."

"If this regime remains in power, they are going to do a mass murder. They are going to kill so many people," said Moh Heidari, who lives in the East Bay. 

Concern for family living in Iran

Regardless of their views, ralliers say they're concerned about their loved ones living in Iran, especially with limited communication. 

"Right now, it's very uncertain. It's a very uncertain time. We don't know if there's going to be radiation issues from people that live close by. We don't know if they're all safe. There's just a lot of unknowns right now," said Amini. 

" I'm very worried about family. All of the people you see here, we all have family in Iran. But we know if this regime stays, there will be no Iran," said Rezaei.