Iranians in Istanbul jittery but jubilant at US, Israeli strikes
AFP
Sat, February 28, 2026 at 8:01 AM CST
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An Iranian protester in Istanbul during the mass street protests that shook Iran in January (Yasin AKGUL)
(Yasin AKGUL/AFP/AFP)More
"War is no good but it's better than the regime killing our children," said a 39-year-old Iranian in Istanbul, confessing he was "happy" that US and Israeli warplanes were attacking Iran.
Like many Iranians living in exile in neighbouring Turkey, Reza, who did not want to give his surname, has been glued to his phone since news broke that Israel and the United States had begun air strikes on Iran.
Despite worrying about their families, most exiles in Turkey's largest city told AFP they were happy with the strikes, which US President Donald Trump had threatened in January over Iran's protest crackdown that left thousands dead.
"America is attacking the military bases, the people who 40 days ago were killing our children, so they are helping us. War is no good, people will die, but I'm happy," Reza, a mature student, told AFP.
Ali, a film director who like almost all the Iranians interviewed by AFP did not give his surname, agreed.
"Now people in Iran are full of hope and they are very, very happy," Ali said.
"Iranians have been counting the minutes until America came to destroy the regime."
Over the past few weeks, Trump has sent warships and dozens of fighter planes to the Middle East, raising fears of a US strike -- even as US and Iranians diplomats held indirect talks on Iran's nuclear programme.
But early on Saturday, the tensions came to a head as Israeli and US warplanes began hitting targets in Iran, with Trump urging Iranians to stand up to their government and telling them: "The hour of your freedom is at hand."
Turkey, which shares a 500-kilometre (300-mile) border with Iran, currently hosts more than 74,000 Iranians with residence permits and some 5,000 refugees.
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