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Connections
A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.
Connections

Iranian Americans react to the deal

By Evan Dawson,
Megan Mack, Julie Williams
Published June 17, 2026 at 2:55 PM EDT
Four smiling people wearing headphones sit around a table in a radio talk studio: a woman front left has long dark hair and is wearing a navy blue dress and tan shoes; a man back left has short dark hair and is wearing a black polo shirt; a woman back center has short brown hair and is wearing red glasses, a tan top, and a blue blazer; a man at right has very short dark hair and is wearing a blue button-down shirt, jeans, and brown shoes
Megan Mack
/
WXXI News
(foreground) Ghazal Dehghani, (background) Pouya Seifzadeh, and Shahin Monshipour with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Wednesday, June 17, 2026
WXXI News

With the Trump administration trumpeting the end of the war in Iran, we sit down with local Iranian Americans.

Our panelists did not all agree on whether to support or oppose this war at the outset. How do they feel about it now? What are the prospects for freedom and human rights in their native Iran? We explore it.

In studio:

  • Ghazal Dehghani, senior lecturer at RIT
  • Shahin Monshipour, former instructor of anthropology and sociology and founder of the International Culture and Arts Network and Seemorq
  • Pouya Seifzadeh, Ph.D., associate professor of strategy in the School of Business at SUNY Geneseo; and local business owner of Funtastic Adventure Park, Bounce Hopper, and Ontario Play & Cafe

Connections
Evan Dawson
Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
See stories by Evan Dawson
Megan Mack
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
See stories by Megan Mack
Julie Williams
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.
See stories by Julie Williams