An estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people of Iranian heritage live in Oregon. And about a quarter of them were born overseas.
An Iraqi protestor carrying Iranian flag in front of the Iranian embassy in celebration of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel, in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
Hadi Mizban / AP
Siamak Shirazi immigrated from Iran in 1985 and now owns a Portland wellness business.
He said Israel’s bombing in Tehran over the last two weeks has rattled his family and friends. For many, the U.S. bombing of nuclear facilities on Sunday just seemed like more of the same.
“On the surface, people believe that Israel cannot do what it does without U.S. support. Directly, or indirectly, it doesn’t matter,” Shirazi said. “People don’t really separate Israel and the U.S. that much.”
But Shirazi said the Iranian diaspora is not of one mind, and there are many different views of the bombings.
“Some people believe that this regime is the worst thing that has ever happened to Iran, and they need to go at any cost,” Shirazi said. “But there are also folks, I’m in that second camp of folks, who do not like war and bombing and do not like innocent folks getting involved in this.”
Some Oregonians protested the bombings over the weekend, carrying signs that read “Love not War” and “History is Watching.”
President Donald Trump said the strikes “completely and totally obliterated” Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities. Others question the efficacy of the bombing campaign.
In a statement on Tuesday morning, Oregon’s senior U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden said Trump made the decision to strike Iranian nuclear facilities unilaterally, without consulting Congress.
“As a senior member of the Intelligence Committee, I’ll be pushing the Trump administration for answers on what plan, if any, it has to prevent an escalation of violence,” Wyden said.
“I will also be pushing for a vote on Senator Tim Kaine’s War Powers Resolution in the Senate,” he continued. “I heard loud and clear at four town halls in Eastern Oregon and the Columbia Gorge this past weekend that Oregonians do not want U.S. troops to be drawn into another foreign war.”
Wyden did say that keeping nuclear weapons out of Iran’s hands and securing Israel’s democratic future are crucial to America’s national interest.
“However, Donald Trump’s reckless attack on Iran without congressional authorization has raised the risks that every U.S. service member in the Middle East will be a target for retaliation,” Wyden said.
As of Tuesday morning, Trump said a ceasefire between Israel and Iran remained in effect, despite alleged truce violations early on.
