The demonstrations prompted Naeem Torkian to travel from his Jeffersonville home to Washington, D.C., to meet with lawmakers face to face. The Iran native moved to the United States nearly 15 years ago in search of a better life and said he is sharing messages from protesters in Iran with whom he remains in contact.

Iran’s streets are on edge as mass protests erupt across the country over a collapsing economy and soaring living costs.

The unrest, which began in the form of demonstrations by merchants in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, was fueled by serious economic concerns.