Cincinnati man's Persian rug shop shaped his views on Iran

Alen Amini reflects on how his father's experiences as an Iranian exile influenced his perspective on the ongoing conflict between the U.S. and Iran.

Mar. 17, 2026 at 10:04am

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Alen Amini's father ran a Persian rug shop in Cincinnati, where he would often share his strong anti-Iran government views with customers. As Amini has grown older, he has become uneasy with how confidently diaspora voices like his father's continue to shape American debates about Iran, when they are often shaped more by memory and fear than daily lived experience. Amini argues that the current U.S.-Iran conflict shows the danger of allowing the loudest exile voices to substitute for serious analysis, and that policymakers would be better served by listening to researchers with recent in-country experience and Iranian civil society voices themselves.

Why it matters

This story highlights the challenges of foreign policy debates being shaped by those with limited direct experience in the countries involved. Amini's perspective as the son of an Iranian exile provides insight into how distance can lead to certainty about complex geopolitical issues, even when that certainty is not grounded in reality.

The details

Amini's father ran a rug store in Cincinnati where he would often share his strong anti-Iran government views with customers. As an Iranian exile who left the country before the 1979 revolution, his understanding of Iran was shaped more by memory, news, and conversations with other exiles than by daily life in the country. Amini argues that many of the loudest calls for regime change in Iran come from outside the country, from figures like the son of the former shah, whose level of support inside Iran is unclear. Amini believes that distance makes certainty about complex issues like war easier than getting things right, and that this dynamic played out in the lead-up to the Iraq War as well.

  • Amini's father ran a rug store in Cincinnati in the 1970s and 1980s.
  • Amini had a final conversation with his father about Iran shortly before his father's passing.

The players

Alen Amini

The author of the article, who is reflecting on how his father's experiences as an Iranian exile shaped his views on Iran.

Amini's father

An Iranian exile who ran a Persian rug store in Cincinnati and held strong anti-Iran government views.

Reza Pahlavi

The son of the late shah of Iran who was ousted from power in 1979, and who is frequently elevated in Western media as a potential transitional leader in Iran, even though his level of support inside Iran is unclear.

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What they’re saying

“The most dangerous regime in the world is the Islamic Republic of Iran,”

— Amini's father

“Maybe it is more complicated than I wanted to believe.”

— Amini's father

The takeaway

This story highlights the risks of foreign policy debates being shaped by those with limited direct experience in the countries involved. Amini's perspective as the son of an Iranian exile shows how distance can lead to certainty about complex geopolitical issues, even when that certainty is not grounded in reality. The current U.S.-Iran conflict underscores the need for policymakers to listen to a diversity of voices, including researchers with recent in-country experience and Iranian civil society voices themselves, rather than relying too heavily on the loudest exile perspectives.