SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS — Members of San Antonio's Iranian community staged a demonstration on Saturday in support of the war and called on President Trump to pursue regime change in Iran. Several attendees said they hoped the Islamic Republic in Iran would be removed from power as a result of the conflict.

Demonstrators chanted and displayed pictures of people they said were among thousands massacred in Iran. Many of those who attended have family living in Iran, and one protester said her brother-in-law was among those killed there.

Yasmin Azimi, who is from Iran and lives in San Antonio, addressed the gathering. "We want for President Trump to finish the job and change the regime," Azimi said. She also noted economic pressures linked to the overseas fighting, including rising consumer prices and gasoline costs following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

"Please think about humans' rights before anything else. I know it may be a long time with the gas prices being high, but please be patient with us. And please help us to free our country," she said.

Azimi said members of the diaspora felt a responsibility to speak on behalf of relatives and others inside Iran. "We are the only ones who can be their voice in the United States and all over the globe," she said.

Neptune Blackburn, another demonstrator, described the purpose of the gathering. "People are being punished for simple, basic human rights. We are protesting over here, trying to make sure that Iranian people have a voice," Blackburn said. Blackburn said they did not want executions to be normalized for speaking and asking for what they believed they should have.

Saturday's demonstration came after two months in which many San Antonio residents have protested the war and expressed opposition to the conflict.