LOS ANGELES — The Persian cultural centres of Westwood and Beverly Hills have become battlegrounds of conscience as Iranian-Americans grapple with their government's military campaign against the country many still call home.

Families who fled the 1979 revolution now find themselves split between supporting American foreign policy and fearing for relatives trapped in Tehran and other major cities. Community leaders report unprecedented tensions within mosques, cultural associations, and even extended families as the conflict enters its eighth month.

"We have people who haven't spoken to their brothers in weeks because of this war," said Dr. Reza Mansouri, director of the Iranian-American Council of Southern California. "Some believe America is finally liberating Iran from the mullahs. Others see their children potentially being bombed by their adopted country's military."

The psychological toll extends beyond political disagreements into practical concerns about communication blackouts and banking restrictions that have severed financial lifelines to Iran. Sarah Kohani, whose elderly parents remain in Isfahan, described the agonising choice between supporting her US-born children's military service and worrying about her family's safety. "My son enlisted in the Marines last year," she said. "Now I pray every night he won't be deployed to fight in the country where his grandparents live." Community organisers estimate that roughly 60 percent of Los Angeles's 200,000 Iranian-Americans maintain regular contact with family members still in Iran, creating an emotional complexity rarely seen in previous Middle Eastern conflicts.