An Iranian man is seen near a portrait of Reza Shah Pahlavi, founder of the Pahlavi dynasty, during a gathering at the Arya Center in Tysons Corner, Virginia, on September 6, 2026. The center organizes potluck dinners, music and karaoke gatherings for members of the Iranian diaspora in the Washington area. According to the center's founder, Shahrooz, the gatherings were organized following the events of January 8 and 9 in Iran to bring Iranians together and help members of the community cope with the emotional distress and depression caused by the events in their home country. The 750,000-strong Iranian community in the US is overwhelmingly united in opposing Iran's Islamic regime whose top leadership has been decimated by the US-Israeli offensive that has destroyed swaths of the country's military and prompted global economic shocks. But deep fault lines have appeared among expatriates and exiles over whether the war will succeed in ending 47 years of clerical rule in their homeland. (Photo by Amid FARAHI / AFP via Getty Images)