DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Iranian Americans in the metro Detroit area say they have been unable to reach family and friends in Iran since U.S. and Israeli strikes killed the country's supreme leader, leaving many without phone or internet access.
Rouhollah Jafari, a Dearborn Heights resident with dozens of family members in Iran, said he has not been able to reach them by phone or FaceTime since the strikes began early Saturday.
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"We call them and talk to them on a daily basis, maybe for a half hour at least," Jafari said. "Emotionally, it's very tough."
Between his parents, sisters, in-laws and cousins, Jafari says he has at least 50 relatives back in Iran and the loss of contact has taken a personal toll.
"Being separate from them and far from them and having little to no connection with them because the internet is down, and we have only limited connection with them," Jafari said.
The escalating conflict has brought a complicated mix of emotions within the Iranian American community. While some, like Jafari, are gripped by fear and uncertainty, others say they feel a sense of hope.
"I haven't been able to work. I took a day off today because I was emotionally not stable enough to go to work," Jafari said.
Watch the Scripps News report on developments in the conflict:
Plymouth resident Reza Azimi, whose relatives live in Iran's capital city of Tehran, said the internet in Iran is completely down. He described a conflicted emotional response to the death of the country's supreme leader.
"Extreme joy basically at the end of the day in Iran for the death of the dictator... almost 50 years of living basically under that oppression, people see a bright light at the end of this tunnel finally," Azimi said.
At the same time, Azimi said he remains deeply concerned for his family and friends overseas.
"War is devastating and the longer it takes and the longer it takes for them to take down this regime, obviously this means more pain, more casualties, more beautiful lives lost and more destruction to our beautiful Iran," Azimi said. "(But) this time might be different and the people will be able to take the power back."
Related video: How to manage the anxiety and stress many are feeling amid the US-Iran conflict
Jafari said he remains terrified living so far from his family and does not believe military conflict is the path forward.
"It only brings destruction and instability. Even if you feel that something needs to be changed inside Iran, the war is not the answer to it," Jafari said.
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