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Iranian-American journalist and activist Masih Alinejad says Iranians are celebrating what they see as cracks in the regime’s foundation but warns that fear still grips the country, with dissidents urging President Trump to “finish the job” rather than leave them “alone with a wounded regime” that could retaliate against innocent civilians.
“If you leave us alone with a wounded regime, they will take revenge on innocent and unarmed people,” Alinejad said Tuesday, describing the message activists inside Iran are asking her to relay.
She told Fox News’ Martha MacCallum that many dissidents remain “worried and concerned” considering the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran last June, noting that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei survived the exchange, which led to further unrest.
Iranian civil rights activist Masih Alinejad attends the nightcap session titled “Rebels With a Cause: Voices of Civil Resistance” at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on Feb. 17, 2024. (Johannes Simon/Getty Images)
“If in 12 Days War, the target was Ali Khamenei, we wouldn’t have seen this massacre, so that’s why Iranians are very, very concerned,” she said.
Alinejad’s comments come as tensions remain high in the region, with U.S. and Israeli strikes targeting Iranian military and political figures, creating lingering concerns about the regime’s stability and the potential for further retaliation.
Alinejad said that while fear persists, some Iranians have taken to the streets to celebrate the deaths of senior regime figures.
Former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei arrives to cast his vote during the presidential election in 2024. Khamenei was killed during Operation Epic Fury on Saturday. (Sobhan Farajvan/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“It’s like they have been waiting for years to actually say that loud and clear in the streets,” she said.
“In the street, [there are] the family members of the victims, women who were blinded intentionally in order of Ali Khamenei… with one eye taking to the street dancing and saying that, ‘Wow even with one eye, we’re able to see justice.'”
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Alinejad also called for broader international coordination, urging Arab nations and European leaders to join the United States in confronting Tehran’s regime.
“This is the right moment. We need a political coalition,” she said. “Where is Europe? Why should we just put the pressure on the United States of America? We need an international coalition to help the people of Iran.”
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