While the Israeli and US air forces strike strategic targets across Iran, the country’s Jewish community finds itself in a dangerous dilemma.
Jewish communities in Iran have moved to an emergency low-profile mode, which includes canceling weddings, celebrations, and large communal events.
Despite the war, sources within Jewish communities in the Diaspora who are familiar with the situation in Tehran report that no deliberate deterioration in the regime’s treatment of Jews has been identified so far. The main concern is suspicion of “espionage" or ties to Israel, which could lead to harsh arrests.
The pressure on the community is also evident in the political sphere. The Jewish representative in the Iranian parliament, Homayoun Samah, who typically aligns with the regime to protect his community, was forced to issue a strong condemnation of the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In the international community, it is noted that in recent months - even before the outbreak of the current campaign and amid Operation Rising Lion - the ayatollah regime arrested several Iranian Jews on suspicion of ties to Israel. Some are still being held in harsh conditions in Iranian intelligence detention facilities, and their fate remains unknown.