Atlanta council member on future of a free Iran: ‘You can't bomb your way to democracy’

Georgians react to strike in Iran

As U.S. and Israeli forces target Iranian missile systems and celebrate the death of the supreme leader, Iranian Americans in Georgia weigh the hope for a free homeland against the grim reality of rising war costs and civilian safety.

ATLANTA - As war rips apart their homeland, Iranian Americans in Georgia find themselves torn between celebrating the death of the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader and fearing for the nation’s future and the safety of their loved ones.

Atlanta City Councilmember Lilliana Bakhtiari is one of the most high-profile Georgians of Iranian descent. Born and raised in Atlanta to Iranian immigrants, 

‘Mixed bag of emotions’

What we know:

Bakhtiari hopes for a better future for Iran, though she maintains that war is not the solution. 

As she watches attacks rain down on her parents' homeland, she expresses a "mixed bag of emotions," noting that while the death of the Supreme Leader may better millions of lives, she fears the cost to innocent civilians.

The U.S. and Israel wage war on Iran.

The military strikes killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

‘Iran was not the aggressor’

Local perspective:

Back here in Atlanta, City Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari, District-5, watches as the attacks rain down on the nation her parents once called home. "There’s a mixed bag of emotions," Bakhtiari said.

"It is undoubtedly going to better the lives of millions of Iranians, here, abroad and in Iran," Bakhtiari said of Khamenei’s death. "He is one of the most evil human beings to have ever walked the face of the earth. We will never know how many deaths he is responsible for, because there have been so many."

The Trump Administration has given a mixed bag of reasons for bombing Iran. Among them, liberating the nation, another, the Islamic Republic, posed an imminent threat to the U.S.

"It was my opinion that they were going to attack first," said President Donald Trump. "They were going to attack if we didn’t do it. They were going to attack first."

"Iran was not the aggressor in this situation," Bakhtiari said.

The Associated Press reports administration officials told congressional staff in private briefings U.S. intelligence did not suggest Iran was preparing a preemptive strike.

‘You can’t bomb your way to a democracy’

Big picture view:

"This will continue to cost Iranian people more innocent lives," Bakhtiari said. "You can’t bomb your way to a democracy or freedom."

Bakhtiari still has family living outside the capital city, Tehran.

"My father has not been able to get in touch with his cousins or relatives or anyone in the family since the internet went out. I’m certain that they are ok. Because they live outside of Tehran, there’s more safety for them," Bakhtiari said. She worries about other innocent civilians. "I fear for the safety of anybody living in the capital city."

Bakhtiari remains hopeful. "In some ways, this is where the real fight begins, the fight for our country’s future and by our country, I mean the fight for Iran’s future," she said. "For a free, democratically elected Iran, a country where the people can cast a vote without fear of being killed, without fear of being slaughtered in return, without fear of losing family members."