Maryam Deravi told an audience of roughly 40 she worried for her family in Iran because of the controversial presidential elections.

“It’s stressful,” she said. “I want everyone to know what’s going on. I feel like people are not aware.”

Rex Honey, a UI professor of international studies and a director on the Foreign Relations Council, acted as the mediator.

At noon, the Foreign Relations Council hosted another speaker, Michael Kraig, who discussed Iranian politics. But the students answered complex questions as well.

Maysam Takapoo, a UI research assistant, started the discussion with a description of Iran’s government.

“The system in Iran looks democratic, but when you think about it, it’s not,” he said.

One member of the crowd, Natalie Deam, shared a personal connection with the volatile political situation in Iran.

“My best friend from fourth grade is Iranian, and her grandfather was arrested [this summer],” she said before the discussion began.

The friend’s grandfather made international headlines for his political views, she said. CNN reported in June that a former Iranian official, around 76 years old and hospitalized for cancer, was arrested from his bed for heading a pro-democracy group.

Deam has been following the story this summer, and she was interested to hear the panel’s perspective.

The panel members discussed topics ranging from the structure of Iranian government to the role of social networking in the conflict and fielded questions from the crowd.

Honey said he hoped the panel would inform the community about the lack of civil liberties in Iran.

Sharon Benzoni, the executive director of the Foreign Relations Council, said she was pleased with the night’s conversation.

“I really liked the dialogue that developed between the audience and the panel,” she said. “There were a number of points that I think clarified things for the American audience.”