World Cup: Iranians in Los Angeles divided on whether to cheer or jeer Iran

Los Angeles – From saffron-flavoured ice cream parlours to kabob shops and Farsi-language bookstores, it does not take long to see signs of the Iranian community in Los Angeles’s Westwood neighbourhood.

And with Iran’s pre-1979-revolution lion-and-sun flag on display across the area, alongside the occasional portrait of opposition figure Reza Pahlavi, the community’s stance against the Iranian government also becomes apparent.

Several protests have already taken place against the participation of Iran – known as Team Melli – in the tournament .

But as the Iranian national team prepares to kick off its World Cup in Los Angeles on Monday, business owner Roozbeh Farahanipour says Iranian Americans’ position on Team Melli is more nuanced than what the visuals may suggest.

Some opposition activists view the squad as an extension of the governing system in Tehran, and are planning protests outside the stadium in Los Angeles.

But many other Iranian Americans just want to watch the game and are putting politics aside.

Opposition to the Iranian government runs deep in Westwood. Known as Tehrangeles, the area is a stronghold for supporters of Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last monarch who was toppled by the 1979 revolution that established the Islamic republic.

But while anti-regime sentiment is prevalent, Farahanipour said people here are not in full agreement on proverbially booing the Iranian team at the World Cup – or cheering for the US-Israel war against their homeland.