The conflict between the United States and Iran, which has been marked by bombings, ship attacks and blockades, is taking a financial and emotional toll on Iranian migrants living in America.
As of 2024, there were about 750,000 Iranian Americans in the United States, and nearly half of them live in California.
Nooshi, leaving Iran when she was 17, has worked as a hair stylist in San Jose for decades. Although she only has distant relatives living in Iran, the continued bombings are difficult for her to endure.
"When you bomb something, you see a building that crashed or collapsed. I cannot look at those images and not realize that this is people's homes. It's not the people versus people; it's governments versus governments," she said.
Others in the Iranian community of the San Francisco Bay Area still have close family in Iran and remain deeply concerned for them.
"My wife is in Iran. You know, I have cousins and lots of families, but I cannot go to Iran myself," said Mahmoud Khossoussi, owner of a Persian restaurant.
Khoussoussi has been running his restaurant for 44 years, making it one of the oldest Persian restaurants in the U.S.
However, the conflict has made it difficult for him to obtain the traditional spices he usually sources from Iran.
"We used to buy it, you know, for like three or four dollars a pound. Now we are paying 30 dollars a pound -- six, seven times more. The saffron became like about at least 10 times more than before," he said.
The strain has spilled over beyond his restaurant. In January, the Trump Administration paused immigrant visa applications from 75 countries, including Iran, halting Khoussoussi's efforts to reunite with his wife.
"[They] don't issue any visas to Iranians. So it's on hold for the last six months. You know, that's the situation. And they said just send for an email and we will let you know when, that's whats happening," he said.
Iranian migrants in US hit by conflict’s toll on family ties, businesses
