Iranian American activist talks about push for free Iran amid uncertain future

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- As the situation in Iran develops each day and attracts more attention from protesters in the United States, Iranian American activists stress there is a big difference between the Iranian regime that rules the country and the millions of Iranian citizens fighting for freedom from that regime.

Activist Ali Soltani described to us the murderous conditions his family has lived under and said any action that weakens the regime -including the bombings of the nuclear sites- is a good thing for the Iranian people.

Soltani told us, "This is the regime that sees the people as its own enemy."

Soltani left Tehran in 1978, foreseeing the revolution that swept the Ayatollah into power. He's been working here in the US for Iranian freedom ever since.

Soltani's family -including three sisters- safely evacuated Tehran a few weeks ago when Israeli missiles started hitting the city.

But he said the war was inevitable. "It's something the Iranian regime brought on to the people."

And he told us he understands why Israel attacked. "It's a self-preservation, right? They see the Iranian regime with this nuclear weapon as an existential threat. And it is true, it is."

Soltani told us a nuclear Iran also endangers the Iranian people; if Iran uses a nuclear weapon, other countries will retaliate.

Soltani said, "Anything this regime loses, in terms of power to bully nations around the world, our neighbors, and the people of Iran, is good for the Iranian people."

Soltani said the government is at war with its own people and has killed thousands who speak out. For years, an organized resistance movement has been working for Iranian freedom.

On Tuesday, grassroots groups held another anti-war protest in Milwaukee. They protested Israel, the Trump administration, and the bombings of the nuclear sites.

Hayley Thomson is an organizer with the Milwaukee Anti-War Committee. She said, "We're here today just to demand an end to the war. Or an end to any impending war in Iran." She added, "We do not want the US to be involved anymore, in any of these other countries."

Soltani told us the Iranian people don't want a ground war, either. And they also do not want weapons or money. "All they need to do is just help the Iranian opposition, organized opposition, to overthrow this regime."

He thinks freedom for the Iranian people could be near at hand, with just a little bit of help. "This regime is like a broken piece of China. It only needs a little tingling to shatter," Soltani said.

Ali Soltani has not been back to his home country since he left 47 years ago. He said he cannot go back because it would not be safe after his work promoting freedom from the regime.

We asked him if his work puts his family at risk. He said, "There is a price for freedom."