‘Complete disregard for civilian life’: Iranian-American lawmaker, expert express concern over conflict

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (KDVR) — Impacts from the tensions between Iran and the U.S. are sending shockwaves here at home in Colorado.

A Colorado lawmaker with family in the region and a foreign affairs expert who worked at the Pentagon shared their perspectives on what could be coming next. Freshman state Representative Yara Zokaie represents Larimer County at the state Capitol. Her family is from Iran; she still has family in Tehran and says it is not as simple for them to evacuate as President Donald Trump is making it seem.

“It is not a reasonable thing for people in a city that is almost twice the size of Colorado, for people to all evacuate. There was not any gasoline left in the city, not everybody had the means to evacuate to places like Isfahan, which then became the target of the attack without any warning. So what we are seeing from our president is complete disregard for civilian life,” said Zokaie.

She is calling on Congress to regain its say in the matter by enacting the War Powers Resolution to limit the president’s authority in this conflict. Foreign experts like William J. Parker III of MSU Denver and Parker Maritime Technologies III say the tensions with Iran have been building for decades.

“Both George Bushes tried to deal with it in a different way, President Obama tried to deal with it, President Clinton tried to deal with it, but now are at the point where if you don’t take some action, and you don’t take it pretty quickly here, then you are going to have nuclear Iran,” Parker III explained.

As tensions rise, so do concerns over terrorist attacks on the U.S. Some are raising questions about the possibility of sleeper cells.

“We’ve known for a long time that there are groups that are trying to stay quiet for such time until somebody says go. And that go time could be at any moment now,” Parker III explained.

Representative Zokaie fears those concerns could open to door for discrimination.

“We haven’t seen any evidence that would lead us to be concerned about sleeper cells. What I am concerned about is that this adds to increased anti-Muslim sentiment, that it creates anti-Middle Eastern sentiment and an increase in racist attacks,” said Zokaie.

While she is still hoping diplomacy will win out and all the nations involved can achieve peace, at this point, Representative Zokaie acknowledges that may not happen.

“I’ve been just absolutely heartbroken by the news and infuriated to see this escalation of violence. And you know my first thought is just all the innocent lives that were put at risk, trying to make sure friends and family in Iran are safe but also knowing that these things tend to escalate; this is the exact type of thing that could thrust us into another endless war,” Representative Zokaie said.

Parker III said he believes the conflict could escalate to something bigger.

“The United States gave the leadership in Iran an opportunity to say, ‘OK, you went after very specific military sites, nuclear sites. But if you retaliate and you go after our people, then all bets are off on what we are going to do next and it will be much more significant.’ And unfortunately, I think that’s exactly what’s going to happen,” he said.