Name: Iranians abroad fear for loved ones inside the country
Uploaded: 2026-01-18T16:21:22.458Z
Duration: 2 min 21 s
Description: Getting first-hand accounts from Iran is difficult. Iranians living abroad are desperate to connect with family inside the country, worried about their safety.

Getting first-hand accounts from Iran is difficult. Iranians living abroad are desperate to connect with family inside the country, worried about their safety.

Tehran

Iranians living abroad are facing heightened anxiety as they struggle to contact family members in Iran amid ongoing unrest and government-imposed internet blackouts. One woman, Mariam, describes her constant worry and efforts to identify loved ones in videos shared online, as reports of violence and casualties emerge from the country.

Despite a brief moment of relief when Mariam receives a call from her mother, concerns remain high as her family urges her to help her brother leave Iran due to fears of recognition and reprisal. Many Iranians abroad are calling for increased international pressure, though they express skepticism about the likelihood of effective intervention.

Iranians abroad fear for loved ones inside the country

We're calling her Mariam to protect her identity. She fears for her family in Iran. We meet her in a city in South Africa where she works. She hasn't heard from her family in days and worries constantly about them. Everybody that I know and love is there. And since January 8th, I haven't been able to contact them. Last time she heard from her mum, she told her the regime would cut the internet soon. Since then, nothing. Every day, Mariam watches videos shared on Telegram among Iranians abroad. Every video that I go through, I zoom in on every face, making sure, OK, is this somebody I know? Is this somebody I know? Is this somebody I know even slightly? Like there are names on some of the body bags. I zoom in. I try to see the ages of people or names of people. And one of the body bags, I was actually reading that the person was, he was born in 2009, so like a 16-year-old. Only now, some messages from her cousin are starting to get through. He says it's a massacre. They are shooting live bullets into the masses, smoke bombs, sonic bombs, flashback grenades. All the while, there are drones on top of you filming your every move. The situation on the street is more dire than you think. Tonight alone, at least 100 died, maybe 200. Even though executions of protesters have been officially called off, Mariam doesn't believe the regime. Like many Iranians abroad, she hopes for more international pressure, but says it's unlikely. Iran has been under sanctions for about 47 years. That means that we have no economic trade with any European country. So the politicians couldn't care less if we live or die. Then unexpectedly, she receives a call from her mother. How are you, mom? OK, no. I won't be scared about you anymore. My mom said my brother is fine. She just at the end told me, you need to do something to get your brother out of the country, which again tells me that he was in the protest, and she fears that he'd get recognised. It's a moment of relief, but for Mariam, the fear for those she loves in Iran remains.

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