*The names of these interviewees are pseudonyms to protect their confidentiality.
Over the past three weeks, thousands of protestors have flooded the streets of Iran. The recent unrest was spurred by a sudden spike in inflation, but is a culmination of more than 40 years of repression by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The government’s response to the protests has been the most violent in its history and authorities have turned off internet access for the country.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the government has killed nearly 16,500 civilians, injured 330,000, and arrested thousands more.
Given the absolute nature of the internet blackout, most Persians outside Iran are unable to contact their family within the country. The blackout is an attempt to suppress international scrutiny of the violent crackdowns and conceal the extent of the violence. Iran International, a Persian-language news platform, described the conditions in the country as “de facto martial law.”
The M-A Chronicle spoke to Iranian students to hear their reaction to the country’s protests.
Shireen*:
Senior Shireen considers Iran to be her second home. She visits annually to see her family, close friends, and attend summer school. When she first heard about the casualties, she was afraid that her friends could be among them.
“I haven’t heard from my friends to be honest with you. I haven’t gotten any messages back from them and it doesn’t say that they’ve been active on WhatsApp or Instagram,” she said. “I have seen a lot of younger generations on the news though, so I don’t know if that includes my friends.”
She is also concerned for her grandpa’s health. With the hospitals overwhelmed with a wave of casualties from the protests, she is worried he won’t be able to receive his cancer treatment.
“My mom calls all of them every day to make sure they’re okay, normally,” Shireen said. “And so for my mom, it’s nerve-racking not knowing every second that they’re okay. My grandpa has a lot of health issues,” she said.
With the internet blackout, Shireen has not been able to reach her family. However, they have been able to reach her.
“My aunt knew someone who was going to Dubai. She wrote a letter and she gave it to this guy, and this guy had my mom’s number on WhatsApp and just sent a photo of the letter to my mom once he got there. And that’s how my mom knew that my aunt and grandpa were okay,” she said.
Shireen takes pride in the actions the people of Iran are taking. “I find it very uplifting to see people finally tired of this regime, finally get a revolution that they truly deserve. They’re such innovative people—with so many sanctions—yet they’ve been able to create so much,” she said.
Yasmine*:
Junior Yasmine first learned of the protests through Instagram posts from friends. Due to the internet blackouts, she has been unable to reach her family in Iran.
“It’s definitely very intense. A lot of people are dying,” she said. “Before the internet shutdown, my dad was talking to his mom and his family in Iran about it, but currently, I have no contact with anybody.”
The internet blackout has also led her to doubt media portrayals of the situation. “The fact that there’s very little to no communication with Iran, it’s hard to even accurately represent,” she said. “Western media censors a lot of things happening in Iran, and it’s just very difficult to get the full story.”
She also feels that the situation is being overlooked by the M-A community. “I’ve not heard anybody talk about it, other than my Persian friends,” she said. “I was talking to one of my other friends about it, who’s not Persian, and he didn’t know about it. Nobody really talks about it.”
Yasmine hopes people can distinguish Iran’s people from the actions of its government. “I wish people would separate the people from the government. In my opinion, the most important thing is the people and making sure that they are able to live and be free without constant restriction and unreasonable laws.”
Armin*:
Sophomore Armin initially dismissed the protests. “At first, I was thinking, ‘Okay, this is probably just another wave, right?’ Just like how Iran had ‘Woman, life, freedom’ in 2022,” he said. “It’s clearly becoming a lot more serious, and it’s actually sparking some people to get hope.”
His hope is paired with a lot of skepticism, though.“What we see on the news is diluted down heavily,” he said. “Casualties in Iran can be tenfold of what we’re actually seeing. That’s the tragic part.”
He also feels that international support has been uneven compared to other conflicts. “I think the reason people don’t post as much for Iran is, unfortunately, a little bit about popularity. Iran is known as a kind of a ‘Muslim country.’ It’s known as a very violent country,” he said.
“I’m waiting for people to truly show respect to Iran,” he added. “That’s what I really want.”
Leila*:
Leila first heard about the unrest through her mother and social media. While she was initially optimistic about the protests, she quickly became worried as the violence escalated.
“They’re killing all these people who are just protesting. And it’s a little bit worrying, because I have a lot of family in Iran,” she said.
Communication with her family has also been difficult. Although she’s one of the few who have managed to contact some of her family members, her conversations are brief and non-political, out of fear of government surveillance. “The calls are really short. All they say is, like, ‘We’re okay,’ and, ‘I love you a lot,’ and then they need to leave.”
Leila also mentioned the stark contrast between how similar events are viewed in Iran versus the U.S. “If something like this happened in the U.S., it would be a much bigger deal,” she said. “I can’t even imagine the internet shutting down in the United States.”
She, too, hopes people can separate Iran from its government. “I wish they understood that this regime isn’t the actual culture of Iran,” she said. “It’s really different than how the media shows Iran.”
Leila left one suggestion for M-A students: “I don’t think people know that their classmates are worried about their families,” she said. “Check in with people if you know that they’re Persian.”
The fate of Iran remains unclear. Yesterday, President Donald Trump said the U.S. was sending an “armada” to the region, “just in case,” hoping to raise pressure on the government. Meanwhile, the internet blackout remains firmly in place.
