Iranian Americans are still reeling from Israel’s attack on Iran in June. For 12 days, we were frantically trying to reach our loved ones across Iran hoping that Israeli attacks would not kill our families as they fled cities, spurred on by cryptic social media threats from President Trump.

Ultimately, more than a thousand Iranians were killed, most of them civilians, and it is likely that Israeli and American bombs will soon fall again if there is no diplomatic settlement.

As the fog of war clears, an important truth has once again been exposed, which powerful voices in Washington and Tel Aviv have spent years and enormous resources distorting: Iranian Americans firmly believe that diplomacy – not war and sanctions that destroy innocent lives – is the most effective path for the U.S. to deal with Iran’s government, whether on nuclear policy, regional stability, or its human rights abuses.

For years now, an echo chamber on social media has sought to portray Iranian Americans as united in begging Trump and Netanyahu to bomb Iran and "Make Iran Great Again." On Persian-language satellite networks like Iran International — created and long funded by individuals closely tied to the Saudi royal family – viewers are led to believe that most Iranians view Netanyahu as a "liberator" and welcome U.S. bombs and sanctions on Iran as tools of freedom.

Meanwhile, voices opposed to war and sanctions have been viciously silenced. Our organization, NIAC, along with countless independent researchers, grassroots advocates, and prominent experts, has long been demonized, including by an oped author in

© The Hill