There is so much to say as an Iranian American who has devoted my entire career to the promise of a moment like this. And, now, it is finally here.

Watching Iranians pour into the streets waving the lion and sun flag, singing old freedom songs and crying tears of disbelief feels surreal. These are people who have literally buried their children for a chance at freedom. Their joy is over a day they never thought they’d experience after 47 years of suffocation.

It is hard to fathom a people so desperate for justice, so hungry for liberty, that they are cheering military strikes on their own soil as the price of liberation. They know the cost of freedom better than anyone.

Yet while Iranians dance and pray for a nation reborn, too many voices here in the United States are dismissing this moment as “another war for oil,” a favor to Israel or a boon for defense contractors.