What Iranians living in ‘Tehrangeles’ say about Trump’s Iran peace deal
On Monday night, my team and I headed to the Sofi stadium in Los Angeles to see what was happening outside and inside the Iran-New Zealand World Cup game.
As we expected, there were hefty protests among the Iranian diaspora, who were waving the lion and sun flag – which symbolises the Middle Eastern country before the revolution that overthrew the former Shah and put in place the Islamic Republic.
Much of the crowd were monarchists, fiercely opposed to the current regime, and instead chanting the name of the late Shah’s son, who is living in exile in the US.
“King Reza Pahlavi!” they hollered.
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After the game – which ended in a 2-2 draw – they were joined by some of the crowd pouring out, who themselves had smuggled “lion and sun” paraphernalia into the ground.
I say smuggled because Fifa has banned the symbol as too political. Many told me they tucked their flags away inside their underwear to get past officials, and then walked out with it draped around their shoulders after Fifa workers gave up.
Some said they were cheering for Iran despite their political views, some were indifferent, while one Iranian woman – who left the country in 1979 – said she was so angry with the current government that she had been shouting her support for New Zealand.
But there were divisions beyond how to deal with the game.
Those who turned up in official Iran shirts were jeered and booed, seen as supporters of the regime.
One man told me emotionally that it was unacceptable to be shouted at when people did not know his views. He felt the young footballers had worked hard to get to where they were.
An Iranian woman said she was strongly against Donald Trump’s war, and although she didn’t support the Iranian government, she disagreed with the protesters who wanted a monarchy.
We want “no kings”, she said.
A young man told me divisions had blown up inside the ground, as arguments took place between Iranian fans.
This was a game that was a spectacle without any additional protest.
Even with Trump’s deal on the horizon, this seemed to mark the first time in history that a host nation was at war with one of the World Cup participants.
Before it, we spent the weekend talking to Iranians across the city. With more than 150,000 Iranians (the biggest number outside of Iran), one neighbourhood is fondly known as Tehrangeles.
This community is overwhelmingly anti-regime, largely known for its strong Pahlavi support, but also with a pro-democracy wing, who want neither the Islamic Republic nor a new King.
When I asked the monarchists about the claims of repression and dictatorship under the previous Shah, they all said that they simply saw Pahlavi as a route to democracy.
The community was divided on other things, too – including the Iran war – with some supporting Trump’s military action and others opposing the violence.
One young man told me how it felt for his cousins living under the shadow of the bombs.
But they were united on one point.
Everyone I spoke to was disappointed to hear that Trump was signing his deal. Even those who were anti-war had become hopeful that regime change might come.
But this week, they told me unanimously that they now feared that hope was gone.