OCEANSIDE, Calif. (KGTV) - An Oceanside man is mourning the death of his cousin, killed by Iran's Revolutionary Guard, as he watches a war he hopes will bring freedom to his country.
Safa, who asked to be identified only by his first name, said his cousin, Farhad Sadeghi, was standing in front of his home in Tehran near a protest when members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard shot and killed him.
"He was in front of his house talking to neighbors, protesters run away… ISRG shooting everyone, in the street," Safa said.
Sadeghi was a husband and father who was preparing to move to northern Iran after recently buying a home.
"I was so sad, a very bad moment," Safa said.
Sadeghi is one of thousands believed killed in a crackdown on protests since January. Many estimates place the number at tens of thousands.
"We are crying for those people that got shot," Safa said.
Despite the ongoing bombing and the risks that come with it, Safa said ordinary Iranians view the strikes as a source of hope.
"With the bombs coming, more happier than before, because they feel freedom is so close," Safa said.
With the internet shut down by the government, Safa, who has dozens of family members living across Iran, said he is uncertain about their safety.
"More stress in our body, feeling very bad, expecting any moment, bad news," Safa said.
In recent days, President Trump has delivered conflicting messages about the conflict, saying the war could end "very soon" while also threatening to escalate attacks if Iran threatens the Strait of Hormuz. For Safa, who has attended local rallies organized by the Alliance with Pahlavi (@alliancewithpahlavi on IG), the prospect of the war ending too soon — without a change in government — is alarming.
When I asked Safa what would happen if there is no regime change, he said: "It will be a disaster for our country."
"If they continue this government, they are going to kill more people, more death, more people in prison. They don't care about humanity. They aren't human basically. They forgot," Safa said.
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