Iranians in Singapore ‘deeply upset’ over deadly protests back home; comms blackout worsens anxiety
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A video grab taken on Jan 14 from UGC images posted on social media on Jan 9 showing cars on fire during a protest at Saadat Abad Square in Tehran.
PHOTO: AFP
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SINGAPORE – Singapore-based Iranian Keith (not his real name) used to speak to his family back home weekly. internet service has been shut down
But efforts to contact his family in Iran via WhatsApp, Telegram and by phone have proved futile in recent days. The country’s
The last time Keith, who declined to be named for safety reasons, was able to reach his parents was on Jan 12.
He told The Straits Times: “The only way for us to communicate is if they manage to call me directly. I can’t call them back.
“We used to have weekly video calls, but that has become impossible.”
Like Keith, Iranians living in Singapore and elsewhere are waiting anxiously to speak to friends and family back home amid the troubles in Iran.
According to Reuters, more than 2,500 people have been reported killed in the unrest that was sparked by protests over soaring prices. In recent days, foreign governments have urged their citizens to leave the country amid fears of a strike by the United States.
Keith, who hails from Tehran and has lived in Singapore for 16 years, called the developments “deeply upsetting”, adding that the current crackdown is likely the most violent in the country’s contemporary history.
He said he is worried about the safety of his parents, who are in their 70s. His extended family and close friends are also at risk, he said, adding that the communications blackout leaves him with no reliable way to stay in touch with them.
Another person who shared similar sentiments is a Singaporean woman of Iranian heritage, who wanted to be known only as Nel.
Nel, who lives in Singapore, said she, too, worries about the safety of her family and friends back home.
Her father, brother and sister are the only ones still living in Iran, she told ST, adding that she just visited them in December with her husband and three children.
Nel said her father used to work in Singapore, but returned to Iran when Singapore, one of the world’s biggest oil trading hubs, stopped buying Iranian oil more than a decade ago.
In a screenshot of her WhatsApp chat log on Jan 14 seen by The Straits Times, messages to her Iranian family and friends showed only a single tick, meaning that they had not been received.
“For the past few days, I have been unable to get through to my family, and the news coming out has left me feeling deeply distressed,” she said.
Nel said she was discussing Iran’s political situation with her cousin on Jan 7, but since Jan 8, responses have stopped coming in.
“That’s when I began frantically messaging everyone, and realised that the government had shut communications down,” she added.
Nel, who was planning to return to Iran some time in March, said she will not be able to do so any more.
Flames engulfing cars following the ongoing unrest, in a place given as Isfahan, Iran, on Jan 9.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Another Iranian citizen, Ellen (not her real name), told The Straits Times that “a stranger from another country called me and said she would help connect me to her mother, and her mother would try to find my mother”. She did not identify which country she was referring to.
She added that since the beginning of 2026, she has been able to speak with her mother only through several phones and strangers.
Ellen, who said she has been in Singapore for almost two years, said the 30 second-long phone calls with her mother were filled with tears from both of them, adding that they were unable to speak freely as they feared the calls were being tapped.
“I worry not only about my family and friends, but also about all 90 million brave people in Iran.
“We don’t want to live in constant fear and grief,” said Ellen.
Josh (not his real name), who hails from a large city in central Iran, has lived in Singapore for more than six years.
He, too, has failed in his attempts to reach friends and family back home though he said his family can sometimes use a fixed phone line to reach him, but they are unable to receive calls. They were also afraid to speak freely as the telephone lines can be eavesdropped on, said Josh.
But as bleak as the news is, some see a glimmer of hope for change.
Keith said: “There is a growing sense that the regime may be approaching the end of its life cycle, which offers a glimpse of optimism.”
Josh added: “I wish for a safe passage to a better future for Iran and Iranians.”
