President Trump’s heartfelt letter to family of teen gunned down in Iran
A Los Angeles man is mourning the loss of his teenage nephew in Iran while sharing that he received a personal condolence letter from President Donald Trump, along with assurances of support for the Iranian people.
Majid Moghadasi, an Iranian American who lives in Woodland Hills, said his nephew, Erfan Faraji, was killed on January 8 during widespread anti-government protests in Iran. The teenager had just turned 18 two days earlier. His death occurred amid a harsh crackdown on unrest that human rights groups say resulted in anywhere from roughly 7,000 to as many as 36,500 deaths, depending on estimates.
According to Moghadasi, he reached out to the White House shortly after learning of his nephew’s killing, asking for attention to the situation and describing how Erfan was shot in the streets of Shahr-e Rey, south of Tehran, while participating in demonstrations. In his message, he portrayed his nephew as a young man with ambitions whose only action was joining protests against injustice, and said Iranian authorities responded to unrest with live fire rather than dialogue.
On January 13, he received a reply signed by President Donald Trump and the First Lady. The letter expressed deep sympathy over the loss and described the family as being “devastated.” It also included a personal message that Erfan would be remembered, and a promise that the administration would continue standing with Iranian citizens seeking freedom and democratic change.
The letter also stated that efforts were underway to hold Iran’s leadership accountable, saying the administration was working to ensure that the country’s ruling authorities faced justice.
Moghadasi said receiving the message was emotionally powerful and gave him a sense that his nephew’s story had been acknowledged. He described feeling both grief and a measure of relief, saying it strengthened his determination to keep Erfan’s memory and the broader issue of protester deaths visible.
He also expressed gratitude toward President Donald Trump, saying he hoped continued attention to Iran would eventually lead to peace and improved conditions for its people.
The protests that led to Erfan’s death began in late December 2025 and intensified into January 2026, driven by economic hardship and long-standing political frustrations. Groups such as Amnesty International have said the demonstrations began with labor strikes in Tehran’s bazaar and quickly spread across the country. Human Rights Watch reported that the government escalated its response around January 8, with security forces allegedly using live ammunition, sometimes targeting protesters’ upper bodies. By mid-January, some estimates placed the death toll at around 5,000, alongside widespread arrests and internet shutdowns that limited information flow.
For Moghadasi, the loss has been compounded by anxiety over his family still in Iran. Communication disruptions and internet blackouts have left him uncertain about their safety and condition, which he described as deeply distressing.
He also shared that he created and posted an online tribute video honoring his nephew and others killed during the protests.
Separately, he reacted emotionally to news on February 28, 2026, when Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei was killed in Tehran during Israeli airstrikes targeting senior Iranian officials. The Iranian government confirmed his death on March 1. Moghadasi said he initially shared a reaction online but later removed it, concerned that it could endanger his relatives in Iran.
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