Andover woman fears for brother in Iran amid deadly protests and communications blackout

ANDOVER, Mass. — Shadi Momeni is worried about her brother, who’s in Iran right now as tensions there escalate.

Thousands have taken to the streets for the last two weeks, pushing for a regime change.

“It’s a hard situation, you cannot contact, you don’t know if he’s safe or not,” said Shadi Momeni, who lives in Andover.

Now at least hundreds have been killed, but it’s difficult to get confirmed information from Iran with the recent blackout.

“This is not a protest anymore, I guess at this point it is a revolution,” said Shadi Momeni.

Shadi says this all started with an economic collapse, and many in Iran have been unhappy with the country’s leaders.

There’s been an internet blackout there since Thursday, with phone lines cut off, so that’s the last time Shadi heard from her brother.

“No news coming out because it is massive, they are killing people, shooting people and especially when President Trump said they’re gonna help, this gets worse,” said Momeni.

This weekend, President Donald Trump said he’s considering intervening in Iran and has proposed negotiations.

But Iranian leaders are now threatening to attack Israel or other U.S. military bases if the U.S. steps in.

Shadi hopes President Trump does intervene.

“People in Iran they are not happy, and the government killing people. Now is the time, anyone outside of Iran, anyone promises, keep the promise, and it’s a time for action,” said Momeni.

As this family hopes for a peaceful change, they’re praying for their loved ones who are still there.

“When the government they don’t care about their people, they kill their own people, they are not, they shouldn’t be controlling the country,” said Momeni.

Shadi is hoping her brother can come back home to Andover soon.

Meanwhile, President Trump is expected to meet with Senior National Security officials on Tuesday to discuss how to move forward.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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