Nazanin Afshin-Jam MacKay, an Iranian-Canadian human rights activist, warned that Iranian support for American military action could quickly erode if civilian infrastructure becomes the main target. While many Iranians initially welcomed strong rhetoric and strikes against senior regime figures, viewing them as long-awaited support against decades of repression, shifting goals or widespread civilian harm could reverse that sentiment.

She said many Iranians had called for outside intervention after years of failed reforms and a deadly crackdown on mass protests in January, during which thousands were reportedly killed. Although some accepted collateral damage as the price of freedom, she cautioned that replacing one regime figure with another would not amount to meaningful change and would leave the system intact.

Drawing on her family’s experience of persecution after the Islamic Revolution, MacKay highlighted ongoing human rights abuses, including child executions, forced early marriages, and the imprisonment of minors. She stressed the importance of unified opposition across political and ethnic lines and urged the international community to move beyond symbolic reports by forming coalitions that increase pressure on the regime.

MacKay also called for practical support for Iranians, including expanding internet access during prolonged blackouts and amplifying diaspora voices. Without concrete international action and accountability for past atrocities, she warned that documented abuses risk being forgotten rather than prosecuted.