Local communities say this moment calls for more than politics.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – Following the killing of Ayatollah Khamenei, Iranian Americans across the country are marking what they believe could signal a turning point in Iran’s governance.
Members of Louisville’s Iranian community gathered at Tom Sawyer State Park on Sunday to acknowledge the moment.
Louisville resident Mehdi Ghayoumi said he left Iran just a few years after the current regime came to power.
He told WAVE that his people have resisted the government for decades, and seeing support from Israel and the United States now gives him hope.
“We knew that, you know, people were gonna resist and protest, and they’re gonna fight this regime in Iran for as long as it takes,” Ghayoumi said. “We didn’t know that the United States and Israel would come to our aid, or we didn’t know that they would come to our aid this soon.”
Siera Hanks, a spokesperson for Jewish Louisvillians for Peace, said the group shares sympathy for the Iranian people, now free from Khamenei’s rule.
However, the organization says the way the war unfolded raises broader concerns about regional stability, civilian casualties, and the implications for Jewish communities locally.
“Every time the Israeli military goes out to make the world safer for Jews, it’s making it less safe for us in the diaspora.”
Jewish Louisvillians for Peace released the following statement regarding the U.S. and Israel’s attacks on Iran:
“For decades, Netanyahu has been looking for legal justification to attack the Iranian regime. Instead, in Trump, he found a partner who didn’t care about legality, the lack of imminent threat, or loss of civilian life, and the world is again mired in a war with no sensible end strategy.
“To be sure, the Iranian regime is brutal, oppressive, and criminal, but the notion that powerful outsiders can invade and bomb their way to peace comes from a hubris determined to repeat history’s deadliest mistakes rather than learn from them.
“So many innocents have already been slain in this war of choice. And for what? As Israel claims to kill for the Jewish people, antisemitism escalates and Israelis spend their nights in bomb shelters. This Israeli regime continues to make the Jewish people less safe as it trades any hope of peace for violent conquest.
“The wars must end. Netanyahu must go.”
Even so, members of both communities say this moment requires more than political debate. They stress the need to support one another and create space to process complex emotions.
“I think really investing in your local community can help you reflect on the diversity of opinions that can come up at any moment like this,” Hanks added.
Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has stepped in to replace Khamenei as the jurist member of Iran’s Leadership Council.
The body temporarily governing the country also includes Iran’s president and judiciary chief.
The Ayatollahs have held control since 1979.
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