Patrick Williams
Audio By Carbonatix
By now, most people have probably received the news of the U.S. military actions in Iran over the weekend.
Iranian state media reported Saturday that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed, following U.S. confirmation of a joint American-Israeli military operation targeting the Islamic Republic.
In an eight-minute speech posted to Truth Social Saturday, President Donald Trump said the intervention was necessary to protect U.S. interests, citing a continued threat from Iran’s nuclear program, and called on the Iranian people to overthrow the regime, further stating that “this will be probably your only chance for generations.”
“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime. A vicious group of very hard, terrible people,” Trump said. “Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world.”
The Washington Post has reported that four U.S. troops are confirmed dead following the operation. In his Truth Social address, Trump said the “lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties.”
On Sunday, the Dallas Morning News reported on a demonstration at Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas. Over 100 people participated, the Morning News reported, including members of the Palestinian Youth Movement, the DFW Antiwar Committee, and the DFW branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
The New York Times recently polled six conservative voters in mostly Republican-leaning parts of the state for their reaction to the weekend’s events. Speaking from areas such as Amarillo, Lubbock, Bastrop and College Station, five of the six said they supported the operation, albeit with a few reservations about long-term plans.
To get a more Dallas-intensive perspective, we took to the streets of downtown and asked four passersby for their thoughts on the operation. Here’s what they had to say.
Matthew Cooper, 49, Allen
Cooper works downtown and typically votes for Democratic candidates. He said he would need to know more about the operation before deciding whether or not it was justified, but that he has concerns about U.S. plans for Iran’s future.
“I don’t believe that we should be involved in complete regime change, which to me seems to be what’s happening with this, particularly since we just saw it happen previously,” Cooper said. “But I do believe that the United States stance against Iran having nuclear weapons is correct.”
He also said that he thought the operation’s consequences could be “far more reaching than we realize right now” and that he “doesn’t see how” it doesn’t spiral into a wider conflict.
“I thought the goal was stability. Doesn’t seem to be the case. And I mean, Iran, they’ve been saying Iran’s been about to have a nuclear weapon now for decades,” Cooper said. “So I don’t know why that’s changed now, considering we just blew up their facilities.”
The U.S. joined an Israeli operation designed to counter Iranian nuclear ambitions in June, later dropping three bombs on heavily fortified uranium enrichment sites.
Matt Garcia, 47, Allen
Garcia said that he feels the operation will exacerbate issues in the region. He votes Republican most of the time, but questioned the Trump administration’s justification for the strike.
“Nothing’s ever going to get solved,” Garcia said. “This is short-sighted; it’s just that we want to keep the world safe, but who are we to say that other countries shouldn’t have nuclear options?”
Davion Robbins, 34, Dallas
Robbins admitted that she has not kept up-to-date on politics as of late, but generally leans Democratic on most issues.
“You’ve got to think about the president that’s doing it right now,” Robbins said. “I don’t think anything he does is justified, I’m sorry. Just him being in office is just crazy.” `
She also said she hopes the conflict “ends soon” and that she worries about possible retaliation.
“I’m worried about what they can do to us or what could happen to us. I also know we’re America, so we’re gonna do what we do,” she said.
In addition to attacks on neighboring countries, Iran has launched strikes on Israeli and U.S. targets in the region, CNN reports. Officials in Tehran have said they do not plan to negotiate with the U.S.
Bill Konersman, 74, Plano
Konersman agreed to be interviewed to give a conservative point of view. When asked what his initial reaction was to the news, he said it was “about time.”
“Iran has been sending hit squads into foreign countries for decades,” Konersman said. “I mean, it’s not the beginning of a war. It’s the end of a war.”
When asked about reports that countries in the region, such as the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, have been attacked by Iranian missiles, Konersman said he thought the hostilities would be short.
“I think that’s going to be over in a couple of days, they’re going to run out of missiles, and we’ll blow up their missile launchers,” Konersman said.
He also said that U.S. involvement in Iranian affairs should be minimal
“I think he’s made that clear both verbally and by example,” he said. “It doesn’t look like we’re trying to install a new government in Venezuela, and I don’t think we’re going to try and do that in Iran.”
