‘If This Isn't Managed Carefully, A Country Of 90 Million People Could Very Well Fall Into Civil War’
WASHINGTON – Since the start of Trump’s illegal war with Iran, Representative Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), the first Iranian American Democrat in Congress, has been sharing her unique perspective and highlighting how this administration’s reckless war is putting Americans, Iranians, and the entire region at risk.
See coverage below.
Amanpour: War May Leave Iranian People ‘In an Even Worse Position,’ Says U.S. Congresswoman
Rep. Ansari: “Here's the issue: Donald Trump is a wannabe dictator and authoritarian here in the United States. He doesn't want democracy for the American people … We don't even know what the exact objective of this war is. But I can tell you in briefings that I have been a part of, I've directly asked this question. Is there a plan for a democratic transition in Iran? And it's been made very clear to me that that is not a part of the mission. Meanwhile, Americans are seeing gas prices go through the roof. There are American troops on their way to the Middle East. It's largely unpopular among the American population. And we're seeing devastating consequences across the region. So it is terrifying that we have, really, a mentally deranged leader here in the United States putting the rest of the world in such danger.”
Rep. Ansari: “It was, you know, undeniable to me that from the beginning that Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu do not have good intentions or a plan as it pertains to the Iranian people. But I also am very empathetic and recognize that Iranians, especially inside the country and most importantly inside the country, felt that they could not overthrow this regime without international support. Unfortunately, that international support is being led by two, you know, warmongering … maniacs in my opinion, who actually don't care about what their future is … Again, we do not see clear rhetoric from the president. There's evidence to show he's already getting bored with this. Troops are well on their way, and American service members have already died. The American population does not have an appetite for troops on the ground. There's only 7% support for U.S. troops on the ground in Iran. That is abysmal.”
ABC This Week: Iranian American Rep. Ansari: ‘We need an off-ramp quickly’ to end Iran war
Rep. Ansari: “I think everybody's reaction, including my parents, to that news is joyful, not a classic joyful, right, because you're talking about somebody's death, but there's a feeling of hope that comes with it. Maybe now something can happen. Maybe now, you know, this is the beginning of the end. I think immediately they are worried about, you know, their concerns have always been Iran, Balkanizing essentially, and the borders of the country changing because there are so many different ethnicities and groups, and not all, you know, good actors and interests around Iran. But also, that it could become a failed state. And if this isn't managed carefully, a country of 90 million people could very well fall into civil war. And I think that has been their concern from the beginning and my concern as well.”
NOTUS: Rep. Yassamin Ansari Says Trump’s War With Iran Is ‘Wildly, Wildly Illegal’
Rep. Ansari: What's different about the regime in Iran with the Islamic Republic is that it's not just one person. The Ayatollah being killed, while it is very much worth celebrating, that doesn't mean the regime has changed, or the regime has fallen. Though Donald Trump said something of that sort, that is not at all the case … So the challenge now is what happens next? Who is in charge now? There's already been another Ayatollah who has been appointed, and there's a lot of concern that, again, the next iteration of this regime will be even more harderline than they were prior.
IN PRINT
The New York Times: War Stirs Mixed Feelings for the Only Iranian American Democrat in Congress
[Megan Mineiro, 03/13/26]
When Representative Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, the only Iranian American Democrat in Congress, learned in the early morning hours of Feb. 28 that the United States was dropping bombs on Tehran, her first call was to her parents.
They had fled Iran decades ago to escape the government led by hard-line religious clerics. So she felt a rush of hope, but also unease, when she learned that the opening salvo of the U.S.-Israeli assault had killed the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei …
She said that her family had discussed for decades when Iranians might finally topple the country’s tyrannical government, and that they wondered if that moment had arrived. But she was also deeply concerned about Mr. Trump’s unilateral move to start a war that she calls “illegal,” and worried that he might eventually align himself with a new leader who would continue to oppress the Iranian people while acquiescing to the American president’s demands…
The Washington Post: For Iranian American lawmaker, darkness hangs over a season of hope
[Elahe Izadi, 03/28/26]
The strong scent of beef kebab and ghormeh sabzi — a stew of herbs and fenugreek considered a national dish of Iran — wafted down the hallway of the Longworth House Office Building on Tuesday, leading to the small office of Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Arizona).
The freshman lawmaker, who is the first Iranian American Democrat elected to Congress, was hosting a modest open house to mark Nowruz, the Iranian new year …
Celebrating Nowruz has become somewhat of a hallmark of Ansari’s time in public office. While on the Phoenix City Council, she helped found an annual city-sponsored festival. Last year, just months into her first term in Congress, she introduced a resolution to mark the holiday and establish March as Iranian American Heritage Month.
Her celebrations are different this year. There is no big Phoenix festival. “We decided maybe it’s not the best time,” she said. But Ansari still wanted to mark the occasion on the Hill, a modest effort to educate her colleagues and their staffers about Persian culture.
“Iran and Iranians have always been living under the shadow of what people think about Iran because of the regime,” she said. Even well-intentioned people, she said, may only associate Iranians with what they see on the news — a grim picture of an oppressive government that kills its own citizens and proclaims “Death to America.” So taking a moment to spotlight the culture — the food, the dance, the art, the traditions, the history — that’s “where you can really understand the humanity of a group of people,” she said.
Follow @RepYassAnsari on all social media platforms and visit Ansari.House.gov to learn more.
###
