Arizona U.S. Rep. Yassamin Ansari expresses fears that military escalation could fracture Iran

PHOENIX — Arizona U.S. Rep. Yassamin Ansari, the only Iranian American Democrat, says President Donald Trump’s military campaign in Iran is causing “internal strife” within the country’s diaspora.

“This has actually caused a lot of internal strife within the community,” she told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “There were a lot of debates about whether or not people should be hopeful, what the right thing is to do.”

Ansari said her family feels cautious optimism that this moment could mark the beginning of the end of Iran’s authoritarian regime, which she has described as brutal and corrupt.

“Their concerns have always been Iran Balkanizing, essentially, and the borders of the country changing … but also that it could become a failed state, and, if this isn’t managed carefully, a country of 90 million people could very well fall into civil war,” she said.

Yassamin Ansari has been outspoken about war in Iran since the beginning

On Feb. 28, the day the U.S. and Israel initiated their coordinated strikes on Iran, Ansari released a statement condemning the operation for proceeding without congressional authorization.

“I am deeply concerned by President Trump’s decision to launch an illegal, dangerous war without congressional authorization,” Ansari said in the statement.

Rep. Ansari Statement on United States Attack on Iran. pic.twitter.com/zaWoxEyeEm

— Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari (@RepYassAnsari) February 28, 2026

During her Sunday interview with ABC, she maintained her stance that Trump should have sought approval from U.S. lawmakers, while also shedding light on her immediate reaction.

“I immediately called my parents ,” Ansari told ABC. “The next few days were really tough. … The first week or two honestly were very, very heavy,” Ansari said.

Her feelings were conflicted as well as heavy.

“(I felt) a lot of pressure from the standpoint of somebody who’s grown up with wanting to see … a better future for the people of Iran, but in my role as a U.S. congresswoman, knowing very well what we’re dealing with in a President Donald Trump and knowing that there is no plan or clear objectives for what the war is about, (I) had a lot of anxiety and mixed feelings.”

What the only Iranian Democrat in Congress hopes will happen

She’s not the only one with mixed feelings. The Iranian diaspora is also divided, with some supporting Trump wholeheartedly and others firmly in the anti‑war camp, she added.

“There’s people who are within the diaspora and and Iranians who just — who want something hopeful to hold on to and are trying to, now, steer this in the right direction,” Ansari said. “We’re already in this war, so what can be done?”

She says she’s been mapping out actionable ways to respond.

“Ultimately, I do think we need an off-ramp quickly to the war. We need to to de-escalate,” Ansari said. “I just want to see the best for Iranian people who have had to live under this regime for the last 47 years.”

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