ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — As tensions escalate in the Middle East, an Iranian college student living in Michigan says he hasn't been able to reach his family since deadly strikes over the weekend — and the uncertainty is affecting every part of his life.
Khashsayar Penkar, who was born and raised in Iran and lived there for 17 years before moving to the United States to finish high school, is now a student at Washtenaw Community College, where he is studying business. He is also an American citizen.
Watch the video report below:
But while he walks the campus, his mind is elsewhere.
"Physically, I'm in America, but my brain and my soul are with the Iranian people, is with the people of the Middle East paying this price," Penkar said.
Penkar says he is used to speaking with his family in Iran several times a week. Since Saturday, he has not been able to reach them.
"My uncle, my grandmother, my father, my 5-year-old cousin — she's a little sweet girl. I don't really know what is going on with them. I am deeply worried. I do see it in my performance in work and school that I'm not able to be the person that I used to be," Penkar said.
He says footage of the place where he was born and raised burning consumes his thoughts, and he finds himself constantly refreshing his phone, mourning the loss of both American and Middle Eastern lives.
"I'm worried about 92 million Iranians. I'm worried about the whole Middle East. I'm worried about people of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, people of Dubai, people of Israel, I'm worried about the military service man," Penkar said.
While he does not support violence and fears for the lives of his family and his people, Penkar says growing up in a country he describes as oppressive makes him believe something in his homeland needed to change.
"I just want them to be safe and I want them to be free. Not only for my cousin or my uncle or my dad, I want the 90 million people of Iran to be finally free," Penkar said.
Related video: Michiganders stranded abroad as Middle East conflict disrupts travel routes home
For now, the phone call Penkar wants most is a simple one — hearing that his family is safe.
—————
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.
