MISSOULA — For many Iranians who fled the Islamic Revolution, this war feels personal.
Dr. Mehrdad Kia grew up in Iran, but left after the 1979 revolution.
Now the director of the Central and Southwest Asian Studies Center at the University of Montana, he said the Trump Administration’s goal of regime change gives him hope.
The regime has held power for 47 years.
“You saw the jubilation of Iranians in Iran [and] abroad, dancing spontaneously on the streets. Why? Because they feel they have been living in a prison, an ideological, religious prison,” said Dr. Kia, Central and Southwest Asian Center director at the University of Montana.
Watch MTN's Zach Volheim's interview here:
Dr. Kia says that with the outbreak of the war, the Iranian people he’s in contact with hope to unite in opposition to the current regime.
“This is not about restoring the monarchy of 79 or before, but as a transition on the figure. That is, bring the opposition together. Let's get rid of this regime. Let's move to a day when every Iranian can go to the ballot box and choose their own government,” Dr. Kia said.
He says that the people he is in contact with in Iran are lying in wait eagerly, waiting for the opportunity to topple the regime.
“But this government is not going to fall with civil disobedience. It's not even like the government in Eastern Europe, for example, Czech Republic or East Germany, where the government collapsed in Poland, where workers went on strike. This system needs more push to crumble,” Dr. Kia said.
Overall, Dr. Kia believes that an opportunity for regime change is possible, but it must be made at the hands of the Iranian people.
“There are millions behind us right now. And all their ally here is, don't send any troops. We are here and we will do what we need to do. Just degrade their military capability to the point that they will not massacre us again,” Dr. Kia said.
