If Trump really wants to help Iranians, Yassamin Ansari has some ideas for him

Arizona’s Iranian-American member of Congress speaks out on Trump’s war and says he can assist Iranians through humane immigration policy instead of military action.

When President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Iran back to the “stone ages” earlier this month, US Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Phoenix) looked on in horror.

Ansari’s parents fled Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and she has been an outspoken critic of the Iranian government and its violent crackdown on protesters and government-imposed internet blackout.

But Ansari also firmly believes that any change in Iran must come from within and has condemned Trump’s “illegal” war.

“I know from studying history and international relations that bombs have never freed a country, and that’s a fact,” Ansari said. “I will never advocate bombing a country for any reason, let alone like with the delusion of thinking that that is somehow going to bring about democratic change.”

For Ansari, opposing the war was always rooted in concern for the Iranian people. She said it was evident the Trump administration had no desire to help Iranians topple their government as part of the war, citing a classified briefing in which Secretary Marco Rubio told her and other lawmakers that a democratic transition was not part of the military mission. 

The New York Times also reported that overthrowing the government was not among the leading reasons Trump decided to ultimately attack Iran; he was instead primarily focused on killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and degrading Iranian military capabilities. 

It proved true—after over a month of war, and despite the killing of several of Iran’s top leaders, Iran’s government has remained largely in place.

“What is most appalling is that this administration is so incompetent and lacks understanding of domestic politics in Iran that they continue to refer to this as a ‘new regime,’” Ansari said. “Everybody is worse off after this catastrophic, illegal war that Donald Trump waged.”

That’s why Ansari is pushing for real, tangible action to help Iranians in the US and across the globe. Last year, she introduced HR 3504, the Artemis Act, which would protect asylum seekers fleeing countries with strict religious laws from expedited removal before they receive due process. 

Named after Artemis Ghasemzadeh, a 27-year-old Iranian who was deported to Panama after seeking asylum in the US, the legislation pushes back against Trump’s mass deportation agenda and pushes for a more humane immigration policy. 

While Trump frequently hailed the war as an effort to “free” Iranians, the administration has taken no steps to assist Iranian Americans or asylum seekers seeking freedom from the Iranian government. Last year, Trump expanded a broad travel ban against foreign nationals from Iran and dozens of other countries, significantly restricting entry to the US. 

“That means Iranian Americans in the United States are not able to see their families, not able to have their family members come over for health reasons, for weddings, “Ansari said. “It is a very racist and discriminatory policy.”

Trump’s mass deportation agenda has even led to the detention of Arizona Iranians, including Mehrzad Asadi Eidivand, who has been in ICE detention for 10 months. Per Eidivand’s lawyer, the 41-year-old fled Iran after receiving an execution order from the Iranian government in 2010, traveling through several countries before arriving in the US in 2012.

In 2025, the Trump administration also placed a hold on all asylum applications filed with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), leading to processing delays for Iranians seeking asylum or requesting a green card, work permit, or status change.

The move has left many Iranians in a precarious position as their legal status nears expiration with no clear path to renew. Ansari said she has spoken with Iranian students at Arizona State University (ASU) and across the country who have been affected by the pause. For some students, whose status is tied to their education, graduating could mean losing legal status and facing possible removal to the country they fled.

Ansari is also working on upcoming legislation to assist impacted individuals secure temporary protected status to prevent them from being sent back to Iran amid a war and what could be heightened repression with a new and emboldened regime, she said. 

The legislation should be finalized by next week, she said.

The cost of opposing war

Despite her disdain towards the Iranian government, Ansari’s opposition to the war has earned her the enmity of portions of the Iranian diaspora, a heterogeneous demographic that holds a diverse array of political views. 

Ansari has paid a heavy price for her opposition to the war; she’s received threats that she had no choice but to report to Capitol police, she said. 

“I’m deeply disappointed in those in the Iranian diaspora who seem to operate in a very authoritarian manner,” Ansari said. “For people claiming to want democracy and freedom in Iran, but want to shut down, smear, and character assassinate anyone who does not align with them, that does not give me confidence that this group of people has the capacity to bring about freedom and democracy.”

This week’s developments have reinforced to Ansari that Trump doesn’t have the interests of Iranians in mind.

Ansari was deeply alarmed when Trump threatened to bomb civilian infrastructure in Iran, including power plants and bridges, if the country did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The president later dramatically escalated that rhetoric on Tuesday, writing, “a whole civilization will die tonight,” if the strait was not opened. 

While a short-term ceasefire was ultimately reached this week and negotiations over an end to the war are underway, Ansari thinks Trump’s belligerent remarks underscore how little he cares about Iranians.

“If that doesn’t make clear to Iranians that Donald Trump does not consider their lives in any of his political calculations, I don’t know what will,” Ansari said.

That’s why Ansari believes Trump should be removed from office, swiftly. 

“Americans now, from every political background, have recognized that Donald Trump is mentally unstable and unfit for office,” Ansari said. “Never in the history of this country has the President openly threatened war crimes. That’s never happened, and it never should happen, and it proves that he is unfit.”