After Israel-Iran war, Iranian Americans are being swept up by anti-immigrant sentiment in the US

Attacks on Iran are a significant source of stress for the Iranian diaspora—not only because of concern for their loved ones in their homeland, but also because of divisions within their own community and growing anti-immigrant policies in the US.

The current lull in fighting is little comfort for those who want to see a sustainable solution to tensions between Iran, Israel and the US.

"My whole life has been threatened that Israel is going to bomb Iran. We're worried, but we’re used to it," Fatemeh, who immigrated to southern California with her family as a young child in the 1980s, told The New Arab, asking only to use her first name.

She and many others with ties to Iran worry about their loved ones following bombings by Israel and the US and an indefinitely paused nuclear deal.

Last month, Israel attacked Iran as US President Donald Trump's administration was working towards a new nuclear deal with Iran. Israel targeted nuclear, military, and civilian installations, killing almost 1,000 people, mainly civilians. Counterattacks by Iran killed dozens in Israel. A series of US bombs on Iran seemed to attempt to put an end to the exchange of attacks between Israel and Iran, but likely put an end to diplomacy for now.

"The whole series of events will impact diplomacy," said Fatemeh. "I have a hard time feeling optimistic about a diplomatic solution."

In addition to worrying about her loved ones back in Iran, she is also thinking about protecting her children from bigotry, for being Muslim and now for being Iranian.

Fear of Iranians in the US has led to speculation of "sleeper cells" that could pose a national security risk. Last week, Iranians who had been in the US for decades were reportedly arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as part of their mass deportation drive.

It is unclear what prompted these arrests, but some believe recent events have sparked fear of Iran and Iranians, similar to news coverage of Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction.

"It's a disservice to their audiences, if not flat out misleading and deceptive," Negar Mortazavi, a US-based political analyst born in Tehran.

"It's the same way the US media helped deceive the public with the false WMD [weapons of mass destruction] claim in Iraq that mobilised support for the US invasion," she said.

For many Iranian Americans, the thought of being targeted by ICE is a shocking prospect, given that the majority of the community has been in the US for decades, and many are adamantly opposed to their home country's government.

Some support regime change from outside forces, while others support a change in government through local grassroots movements; this longtime debate that often pits Iranian exiles against one another, sometimes leading to threats.

As Iranian Americans closely follow news from their loved ones in Iran, amid ongoing spotty internet connections, many continue to find themselves caught between their homeland and adopted home, with both governments and members of their own community in exile often treating them with suspicion.