OC Iranian Community and the 2020 Election

The Iranian community in Orange County was more likely to vote for Donald Trump over Joe Biden in this year’s presidential election.

Paria Honardoust, 19, shared some insight as to how this election affected her and her community. “I would say the generation of Iranian-Americans who were born here are much more left-winged and progressive. However, the same could not be said about first-generation Iranians who have come to America; this is a result of why they moved to America in the first place.”

The Islamic Revolution of 1979 was a large factor as to why they decided to leave the country. The Islamic Revolution brought a “newly instigated theocratic government” to the country along with the radical leadership change from Mohammed Reza Shah to Ayatollah Khomeini.

Under Mohammed Reza Shah’s power, there was no incorporation of religion and government. When Ayatollah Khomeini came into power, he reversed the then-increasingly pro-Western way of life.

Honardoust says, “ I cannot ignore that there was an intense anti-American sentiment taking place in Iran at the time. Many Iranians believed that the Shah was a puppet to America, leading to the growing disdain for the Shah.”

Kian Saadat, 20, shared that while he does support Biden, “at this point, with the Iranian government where it’s at right now, I don’t see any leader making good with them.” Saadat also said that he is a fan of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and the fact that she is an opponent of military action against Iran.

For other Iranians in the United States, their perspective is much different. President Trump, via interviews and tweets, has shared his affection for the Iranian people along with disgust for the Iranian regime. Older generations of Iranians who were fleeing during the Islamic Revolution align with President Trump’s opposition to the regime, ultimately favoring him for supporting the possibility of hope in Iran: a future without Islamic rule.

As for Iranians and President Trump, Honardoust says, “in short, Donald Trump is the savior for the Iranian people, but the antagonizer of the government. They don’t support Trump for America, they support him for Iran.”

Saadat explained that while his views are a bit further left than that of his parents, who also came to the United States during the Islamic Revolution, they ultimately share similar political ideals. Honardoust, on the other hand, has a different experience.

Honardoust said that she has much different political views from her parents. She attributes her differing ideals from having been born and raised in America. She explained that she “made [her] voting decision based upon the future of America, not necessarily the future of Iran.”
“I do not believe that it is anywhere within his future agenda to 'save Iran' or destroy the government- it just doesn’t make sense to me,” she shared. “While America has infamously been known for its intervention through colonial and imperialist conquests, we are in a time in which there is no time to focus on other nations when our own is in shambles. In short, I don’t believe that Trump is Iran’s savior.”