U.S. bombings in Iran stir deep concern among Iranian Americans on Long Island over uncertain future of their homeland

In the aftermath of the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Iranian Americans on Long Island expressed concern for the people of their homeland and a hope that the bombing may force a needed regime change.

"This is painful," said Long Island resident Rebecca Sassouni, whose family is from Iran but says she identifies as an American-born Persian Jew.

Sassouni, who is also an attorney in private practice and a rabbi, views the bombings as a "necessary evil" to remove an "existential threat" to the United States and Israel, but still a move that leaves many Iranians in an uncertain place.

"I have concern for the people of Iran," Sassouni said in a phone interview. "None of us know what's going to be for the people of Iran."

Long Island is home to more than 10,000 people of Iranian descent, with roughly 9,000 living in Nassau County, according to census data. The villages of Kings Point and Great Neck have significant Iranian American populations.

Great Neck Mayor Pedram Bral, who came to the United States after fleeing Iran as a teen, told Newsday before the U.S. strikes that the Islamic republic has tortured its people and must be toppled. "I don’t think there’s any other way of resolving this," he said.

Newsday's attempts to discuss the bombings with several Iranian Americans in Great Neck were met with hesitation and polite refusals. Residents were worried that if they speak openly about the Iranian regime, there would be consequences for relatives still living in Iran.

The conflict began with Israel targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites, saying it could not allow Tehran to develop atomic weapons. Iran has maintained that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

The war left 28 people in Israel dead, the country’s emergency services said. In Iran, at least 974 have died in the war, according to the Human Rights Activists, which is based in Washington.

A ceasefire between Israel and Iran was showing signs of holding as of Tuesday, though its terms remain unclear and both sides have breached the accord. President Donald Trump has hinted at "regime change" for Iran, but said Tuesday he is not seeking that amid the ceasefire.

One woman who didn't want to be identified said she was happy about the decisive action the United States took. Born in Iran, she left at age 11 with her family after her father was arrested on suspicion of smuggling people out of Turkey. While he was found not guilty, the family still felt it unsafe to stay.

The woman said she was hoping this would lead to a more peaceful Iran, more like the country seen before the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

A Long Island restaurant owner of Iranian descent said he believes many Iranians want to see regime change. The man, who did not want to be identified, fled Iran in the early 1980s and came to the United States in 1989 after living in Turkey and Germany.

Today, he has relatives still in Iran. And though they have fled the country’s capital of Tehran, he believes they are not out of harm’s way because of the regime’s history of torturing its citizens.

The turmoil in his homeland, he hopes, will spur Iranians to rise up and topple the regime.

Newsday's Nicholas Spangler and The Associated Press contributed to this story.