TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A local college student with nearly 200 relatives in Iran says she's living with "survivor's guilt" as tensions between the United States and Iran continue to escalate following the deployment of a major U.S. naval fleet on Monday.
The 28-year-old student, who was born in Tehran and raised in the U.S., asked to remain anonymous for her safety and the safety of her family in Iran. She learned about the most recent escalation through her family's social media accounts before the Iranian government shut down Internet access.
"We're grieving and mourning for people that we don't know if we've lost them," she said.
The student described how Iran's economic collapse has made daily life increasingly difficult for her relatives. Iran's currency, the rial, has dropped to a record low, losing about 5% of its value in January according to currency trackers.
"The prices for basic necessities would multiply by like 40, 50 times within one night," she said.
As protests in Iran grew larger this month, the government shut down Internet access, leaving the student unable to contact her family for about a week. Several of her family members participated in the protests despite the danger.
"I couldn't believe that we live in 2026 now and this is something that can still happen to a population of over 90 million people. They can just be cut off from the rest of the world," she said.
U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) report that about 5,500 protesters have been killed during the recent unrest that began in December 2025. Data from HRANA also shows that 17,091 deaths are still being investigated.
"I felt very fearful," she said.
On Monday, President Donald Trump said he believes Iranian leaders are seeking a deal with America.
"We have a big force going toward Iran. I'd rather not see anything happen, but we're watching them very closely," President Trump said.
The student said living in the U.S. while her family faces danger in Iran has created complex emotions.
"It's just luck that I ended up growing up here. So, I think for me, I have this weird sense of survivor's guilt," she said.
She believes speaking out about the escalation is the only way she can help her family and fellow Iranians.
"Everybody in Iran, their only really want from the Iranians outside of Iran is to keep talking about us [them]," she said.
The student said communication with her family remains limited and she continues to fear for their safety.
KGUN 9 is following these developments and will continue updating you on-air and online.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
