ST. PETE, Fla. — Iranian Americans are speaking out following a tentative deal between the U.S. and Iran to end the war.
Amir Ardebily says moving from Iran to Tampa Bay in 1985 was the best thing he’s ever done. For the past 40 years, he’s been training fighters at his gym in St. Pete. However, regarding Operation Iranian Freedom, he believes the United States gave up the fight.
WATCH: Iranian American feels 'embarrassed' and 'betrayed' on deal between U.S. and Iran
“Did the United States really win this war? Well, I got news for you: No, they did not. Yes, I was one of the people who supported this war, but unfortunately, we failed,” said Ardebily on his daily podcast.
Ardebily's message and opinion are drastically changing after hearing about the signing of the U.S. -Iranian agreement.
“This is like a slap in the face to the Iranian people and the American people,” said Ardebily. “Now they are laughing at us, they are laughing at the United States, they are laughing at America, which is embarrassing. I feel ashamed. I had to do a podcast today, and I had to publicly apologize to people today, at least I was man enough to admit it, that I was wrong about Trump and this war.”
Ardebily still has family and friends living in Iran, one of the many reasons he joined the rally in support of the war.
“We didn’t call it a war, we called it a rescue mission,” said Ardebily. “We were hoping that finally somebody, a president, that’s going to take the next step and stand up to the Ayatollah, the Islamic Regime of Iran.”
Ardebily said when you look at the loss of life, destruction and money spent, it’s hard to justify anything good that came out of this.
“I was willing to take the damage to get rid of the Ayatollahs. Sometimes, you are willing to sacrifice, but now we know that all the suffering and all the sacrifices that we made were for nothing,” said Ardebily. “I feel like we’ve been betrayed, and that’s exactly what it looks like. To me, truly, the Ayatollah and the regimes of Iran have won this war.”
He said the American people will just go on with their lives, but in his native land, the oppression only continues.
“I’m going to drink beer with my friends, watch a baseball game, watch a UFC fight, blah, blah, blah, and people are going to forget, but Iranian people will never forget, the history will show what has happened,” said Ardebily.
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