Dallas group protests for regime change in Iran after U.S., Israel launch strikes

February 28, 2026; Dallas Morning News

Dallas activists took to the streets this weekend after United States and Israeli strikes on Iran, with rallies planned in downtown Dallas.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack launched by Israel and the U.S., President Donald Trump said Saturday on social media. Iran’s state media later confirmed the leader’s death.

 Trump said his death is “the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country.” The death occurred after a joint U.S. and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites, according to reporting from The Associated Press.

The president also said “heavy and pinpoint bombing” was to continue “uninterrupted” through the week or longer.

Antiwar groups and Iranian American organizations announced separate gatherings Saturday and Sunday in response to the attacks, which federal officials said targeted Iranian military and strategic infrastructure.

Supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) held a rally Saturday afternoon at John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza in downtown Dallas to express support for a provisional government.

The group said in an email to The Dallas Morning News that local Iranian Americans and allies planned to gather to “stand in solidarity with the Iranian people’s organized resistance and support the transition of sovereignty to the people of Iran.”

A couple of dozen demonstrators gathered outside John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza about 3:30 p.m., in support of regime change in Iran.

Demonstrators stood in lines at the plaza, facing the street across from Founders Plaza in downtown. People of all ages protested, some wearing sunglasses and caps to shield the scorching afternoon sun.

With flags and banners in hand, they chanted, “Change change change … regime change in Iran.”

“What do we want?” a demonstrator asked on the microphone. “Regime change in Iran,” the crowd shouted.

“When do we want it?” he asked again. “Now! Now! Now!” the crowd answered.

Demonstrators chanted until the end of the one-hour presentation as patriotic music, some in Persian, filled the surrounding area.

Homeira Hesami, chairwoman of the Iranian American Community of North Texas, said the rally was in support of an organized resistance in Iran that is vouching for a peaceful transition to democracy.

“The Iranian people do not want to go back to monarchy,” she said. “They will move forward to a democratic system.”
The NCRI, under the leadership of Maryam Rajavi, has announced the formation of a provisional government based on a ten-point plan for the future of Iran, according to a message released Saturday from the president of the NCRI.

The plan, Hesami said, that has been in place for decades, addresses the freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, gender equality, peaceful coexistence, a non-nuclear republic and free and fair elections, among other proposed changes.

Hesami, 59, said the Iranian American community is expressing support for Rajavi’s plan and “tell the world that there is an alternative … that has a very clear plan for Iran’s future.”

When asked about the overnight strikes on Iran, Hesami said she has loved ones back in the country she worries about, but she emphasized the goal has always been to overthrow the regime and amplify the voice of the Iranian people.

“The Iranian people want regime change,” she said. “They have expressed it numerous times.”

Reza Hesami, 32, said he lived in Iran for the first 17 years of his life before coming to the U.S. His hope is to see a normal government in Iran — one that does not seek to create chaos in the world.

“We want to have a normal life,” he said.

Reza Hesami said after witnessing democratic society and freedoms after leaving his home country, he does not wish to go back under the current regime.

“We need something like this in Iran as well,” he said. “I’m hoping that I can one day go back.”

Sunday protest
Separately in Dallas on Sunday, antiwar groups plan to protest at the Grassy Knoll downtown.

The event, scheduled for 3 p.m. at 411 Elm St., is being organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement of Dallas, the DFW Antiwar Committee, Socialist Organization Dallas and other groups.

Rick Majumdar, who identified himself as part of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, told The Dallas Morning News that organizers oppose the strikes and are urging community members to attend.

“The joint message is for the United States to take its hands off Iran,” Majumdar said.

A flyer shared by organizers described the event as an “emergency nationwide action” and urged participants to gather in Dallas to protest the military action.

“This is an unprovoked act of war that Trump and Israel are carrying out against Iran,” Valerie Eaton, organizer for the Party for Socialism and Liberation said.

In a video announcing the “major combat operations,” Trump told Iranians that “when we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.”

The strikes during the holy fasting month of Ramadan opened a stunning new chapter in U.S. intervention in Iran, marking the second time in eight months that the Trump administration has attacked the Islamic Republic during talks over its nuclear program.

The attack also disrupted flights across the Middle East and beyond Saturday as countries around the region closed their airspace and three of the key airports that connect Europe, Africa and the West to Asia halted operations, The Associated Press reported.

Hundreds of thousands of travelers were either stranded or diverted to other airports after Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain closed their airspace.