Abroad and at odds: How the war has divided Iranians in the diaspora

Peyvand Khorsandi was only four years old when he and his family left Iran for the United Kingdom in 1976, three years before the Islamic revolution.His father, Hadi, a well-known Iranian satirist and poet, was the target of a failed assassination attempt, allegedly orchestrated by the Iranian government in 1984. The attack was foiled by London’s Metropolitan Police following a tip-off from a senior Iranian official, who soon went into self-imposed exile.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3US-Israel war on Iran, six months down the line: In numberslist 2 of 3After six months of war, what have US, Iran gained and lost?list 3 of 36 months of war on Iranend of listDespite that history, Khorsandi still opposes the US-Israel war on Iran and says it has granted the government a new lease of life while delivering a serious setback to pro-democracy Iranians.“It’s disappointing and depressing,” he told Al Jazeera.Khorsandi is one of many Iranians in the diaspora caught in the paradox of opposing both the government and the war on Iran.The conflict, which began six months ago on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran, has upended the global eco...