BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (WTV)F — A Brentwood salon owner who grew up in Iran said she thinks constantly about her 86-year-old mother and other relatives in her home country as U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran continue.
As of Monday afternoon, the conflict has killed six Americans and more than 500 people in Iran.
Katie Mirian left Iran in her 20s to start over. In Tennessee, she opened Salon Atash. "Atash" means fire in Persian — one nod to her heritage, along with an Iranian flag displayed behind the counter. Now, as military action unfolds, she still tries to call her mother every day.
"Deep down in the night, I have to call my mother and never forget where I came from. It hurts to see my people get hurt," Mirian said.
Military action was not her first choice, but Mirian said she has come to accept it.
"Am I happy war happened? Absolutely not. Who wants war? You know, no child deserves to get shot, no house needs to be destroyed, but it looks like we didn't have any hope. We didn't have any choice but to go through this," Mirian said.
She also expressed cautious hope that the conflict could lead to change.
"I don't know if this war gonna make it better, but I think it's going to make it better," Mirian said.
Mirian has a message for her Middle Tennessee community as the conflict continues.
"Let authorities do their thing, because we're in the middle of it. You can't leave us now. We need help. The help has to be finished. Then from there we'll be forever grateful," Mirian said.
The attack from the U.S. and Israel started early Saturday, as President Donald Trump cited a growing threat from the Iranian regime, including Iranian leaders ignoring warnings not to rebuild its nuclear program. Iran and its allies struck back immediately, targeting several countries that host U.S. military bases, including Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
Do you have a personal connection to Iran and want to share your story? Let us know in an email, Hannah.McDonald@NewsChannel5.com.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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