Iran International
Graffiti in support of Iran’s theocracy has appeared in one of the most prominent Iranian-American neighborhoods in the United States, prompting concern among some residents about intimidation and the spillover of political tensions into diaspora communities.
One of the markings found in the area bore the name “DISO,” a Los Angeles-based graffiti group whose work has largely focused on pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel messaging.
The group’s Instagram page includes several posts opposing the US-Israeli war on Iran and expressing support for the Islamic Republic. It has also openly criticized prominent opposition leader and exiled prince, Reza Pahlavi.
The DISO marking was found on a billboard structure along the northbound side of Westwood Boulevard, just north of Missouri Avenue. The graffiti appeared alongside color patterns resembling the flag of the Islamic Republic.
In a separate incident, “Stop War” was spray-painted over photographs of slain Iranian protesters displayed on a nearby memorial wall. There is no evidence that the vandalism of the memorial wall was carried out by DISO.
The wall commemorates protesters killed during a wave of unrest in Iran in January, described by activists as the “Bloody January Massacre”, where at least 36,500 people were killed in the crackdown.
The memorial had become a focal point for collective mourning and political expression among members of the Iranian diaspora, many of whom have called for greater international attention and support following the mass killings.
Its vandalism is viewed by some residents not only as an act of destruction but also as an attempt to undermine or erase a narrative of loss and resistance that holds deep significance for the community.
'Deliberate act of intimidation'
Despite reports submitted to the City of Los Angeles, some of the graffiti has remained in place, raising questions among residents about response times and local authorities’ handling of politically sensitive vandalism.
Roozbeh Farahanipour, a political activist and member of the West Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, told Iran International the graffiti represents what he described as a deliberate act of intimidation.
He said the public display of such messaging in Westwood sends what he described as a direct threat by the Islamic Republic and its affiliated networks against the Iranian-American community.
Farahanipour said the imagery reflects an effort by Iranian authorities and their supporters to project power “in the capital of their opposition,” referring to the concentration of Iranian dissidents and exiles in the area.
As an anti-war activist, he added that political activists and business owners in Westwood “will never allow the flag of the Islamic Republic to be displayed or normalized in this community.”
He further characterized the graffiti as a security concern, warning that such messaging, particularly amid ongoing tensions involving Iran, can contribute to fear and intimidation among residents.
For many residents of Westwood, often referred to as “Tehrangeles” because of its large Iranian-American population, the appearance of pro-Islamic Republic messaging carries emotional weight.
The neighborhood has historically served as a refuge for Iranians who left the country after the 1979 revolution and subsequent political repression.
“They have to have guns. And I think they’re getting some guns. As soon as they have guns, they’ll fight like, as good as anybody there is,” Trump said in an interview with The Hugh Hewitt Show.
Trump also suggested that US military pressure had already significantly weakened Iran and that further action could be completed within a short timeframe.
“We’ve taken out much of what we’d have to do, probably another two weeks, two weeks, maybe three weeks,” he said.
Trump said large numbers of Iranians would struggle to confront armed forces without access to weapons.
“You can’t have an unarmed population against people with AK-47s,” he said, adding that even hundreds of thousands of protesters would struggle against a smaller armed force.
He said previous protests had been met with heavy force, citing the deaths of tens of thousands of demonstrators, and suggested this had made him cautious about encouraging renewed unrest.
“I’m very torn on it, because they lost 42,000 people in the first two weeks. I don’t really want to see that,” Trump said.
Past weapons transfers
Trump said during a phone interview with Fox Sunday in early April that his administration had previously attempted to send firearms to Iranian protesters but that the effort did not reach its intended recipients.
“We sent guns to the protesters, a lot of them. We sent them through the Kurds. And I think the Kurds took the guns,” he said.
He repeated similar complaints, saying he was “very upset with a certain group of people” and warning they would “pay a big price.”
Several Kurdish groups have denied receiving such shipments.
Calls in Washington to arm Iranians
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has also urged the administration to pursue a policy of directly arming Iranian civilians.
“If I were President Trump and I were Israel, I would load the Iranian people up with weapons so they can go to the streets armed and turn the tide of battle inside Iran,” Graham said in an interview with Fox News on Monday.
“We don’t need American boots on the ground. We’ve got millions of boots on the ground in Iran. They just don’t have any weapons,” he added.
Graham described the idea as “a Second Amendment solution,” suggesting that arming civilians could help bring down the government without direct foreign military involvement.
He also called for alternative channels to deliver weapons, urging the administration not to rely on Kurdish intermediaries.
Military pressure and internal divisions
Trump framed his comments within a broader assessment that Iran’s military and economic capacity had been significantly weakened.
“They have no navy. They have no air force. They have no anti-aircraft,” he told The Hugh Hewitt Show.
Trump added that financial pressure may have affected the government’s ability to pay its forces.
“We don’t think they’re paying their soldiers and their Guard anymore,” he said.
He also suggested divisions within Iran’s security structure, drawing a distinction between the regular army and other forces.
“We purposefully have not gone after them too much, because we think that they’re much more moderate,” Trump said.
At the same time, he said the United States was not seeking to dismantle the country’s military institutions entirely.
“We’re not looking to decimate the army,” he said, referring to past regional experiences.
“You know, when they did Iraq... and the worst thing was they got rid of the all the leaders, so nobody knew who the leader was. And then all of a sudden, you had ISIS. We don’t want to do that.”
Nuclear focus remains central
Despite discussing internal unrest, Trump said that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remains the central objective of US policy.
“The one thing I will say is they will never have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
Trump said any potential agreement would require the return of highly enriched uranium and limits on missile development, though he stressed that nuclear restrictions remain the priority.
