SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Hours after President Donald Trump warned Iran’s rulers against cracking down on demonstrators, more than a hundred Iranian Americans gathered at City Hall, waving the Lion and Sun flag and calling for reform. At the same time, a socialist group nearby protested ICE and voiced support for foreign strongmen.
As protests rage on against the rule of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in hundreds of provinces within Iran, a group of Iranian Americans held a rally in San Antonio on Saturday to show their support for reform in the Islamic-controlled country. Breitbart Texas observed Saturday’s rally at San Antonio City Hall in the heart of downtown.
The video shows rally attendees waving the Iranian Lion and Sun flag, which was used until it was replaced by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s national flag. The Lion and Son flag, used before and during the reign of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, is widely associated with the resistance movement to the Ayatollah Khamenei’s Islamic government.
San Antonio Iranian American Community Rallies for Freedom in Iran (Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas)
Others in the crowd carried photos of the late Shah’s eldest son, Reza Pahlavi, named crown prince of Iran by his father at the time of his coronation as Shah. The group cheered as speakers addressed the crowd, often leading chants in support of the movement to bring about reform in Iran.
Some in the crowd carried signs with messages of hope and concern for relatives in Iran who have not been heard from after a recent blackout of communications and internet access blamed on the government forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Saturday’s rally in support of freedom and reform in the Alamo City is one of hundreds that were held across the country.
In response to reports about the communication blackouts within Iran, President Trump sent a clear warning to the Iranian government at a press conference on Friday. Trump told reporters at the conference, “I’ve made this statement very strongly that if they start killing people like they have in the past, we will get involved. We will be hitting them very hard where it hurts and that doesn’t mean boots on the ground, but it means hitting them very, very hard.”
Pro-Iranian Reform Flyer for San Antonio Rally
Saturday’s rally was promoted on many social media forums to show support for the protesters in Iran who are continuing their third week of protests within the Islamic Republic of Iran. Flyers for the rally appeared on the San Antonio Persian Cultural Society Facebook page, advertising the event in San Antonio and a simultaneous event in Austin, Texas.
Breitbart Texas spoke with Ardi, a pro-freedom attendee who did not wish to provide his last name. Ardi says he is hopeful the current protests in Iran will finally topple the Khamenei regime and bring about real change in the country. “The protesters need our support and help from the U.S. government to finally bring about the change needed in Iran. For too long, Iran has been supporting terrorism in the region and creating chaos that needs to stop,” Ardi told Breitbart Texas.
Ardi blamed the former Carter administration for weak leadership that dealt the final blow to the Shah’s rule over what once was a prosperous country. Ardi says Iran still has great potential to be what it once was and serve as a country that provides stability in the region.
Ardi, a member of the Iranian American community in San Antonio, says his community overwhelmingly supports Reza Pahlavi’s return to Iran and the resumption of the Pahlavi dynasty. “If you ask, 95 percent or better of Iranians here want Reza Pahlavi to assume a leadership role in Iran,” he emphasized. Ardi praised the message being sent by the Trump administration and said this is the closest he feels the protests have come to ending the harsh conditions facing the people of Iran.
In sharp contrast to the pro-freedom rally held by the Iranian American community on the grounds of the San Antonio City Hall, a group of Anti-Ice, Pro-Hamas, and Pro-Maduro socialists held a protest just yards away.
Breitbart Texas reported that members of the San Antonio chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), some wearing Palestinian Keffiyeh scarves, shouted chants against ICE and in support of the Maduro government in Venezuela.
The irony of a pro-freedom Iranian rally and a pro-dictator protest taking place at the same time did not escape the attendees at the anti-Khamenei event. On more than one occasion, as Breitbart Texas looked on, several PSL protesters strayed into the pro-freedom rally only to be turned away by Ardi and several other attendees.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X @RandyClarkBBTX.
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