M'sians in Iran resort to old-school messaging to stay in touch
SEPANG: As tensions in Iran escalated following Israel's retaliatory strikes, residents in the country were forced to rely on the old-school Short Message Service (SMS) to stay in touch with family members and relevant parties.
Malaysia's Ambassador to Iran, Khairi Omar, said roaming services in the country, including WhatsApp, are currently blocked.
'In Iran, SMS communication is still open between local Iranian numbers. Domestically, people can still stay in touch. However, if we try to call an Iranian number from here, it won't go through, as roaming services have been shut down. But calls from Iran to outside the country are still possible. So, we've resorted to the old-fashioned way, text messages, which not many people use anymore.
'WhatsApp messages and similar platforms were completely inaccessible, though I believe some access is gradually returning, but still tightly controlled to ensure that sensitive information related to security issues isn't leaked,' he spoke to reporters last night.
He arrived from Iran with a group of 24 individuals, comprising 17 Malaysians, six Iranian dependents of Malaysian citizens, and one Singaporean.
Khairi said the situation in Iran was volatile, with both foreign nationals and locals equally shocked by the severity of the attack, which he described as drastic.
'After a day or two, we began to observe a pattern in the attacks. They were more intense at night, while during the day, it seemed as though both sides had come to a mutual understanding to scale back the assaults.
'As we all know, they already identified the targets, and if one side launched a strike on certain facilities, the other side would respond. But we were always on high alert because if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, you could easily find yourself in a situation you definitely wouldn't want to be in,' he said.
The government ordered the temporary closure of the Malaysian Embassy in Iran, instructing all embassy personnel in the country to return home immediately.
Meanwhile, a trader, Fadhil Yusni, 33, expressed his gratitude at being reunited with his wife, Zainab Ganood, an Iranian national who was visiting her parents.
'I panicked because I couldn't reach my wife. Alhamdulillah, tonight I feel grateful. Thank you to the government and the Foreign Ministry for evacuating my wife out of Iran,' he said, adding that he is now finding the best way to help his wife's family leave the conflict-stricken country safely.
Tensions erupted on June 13 when Israel launched airstrikes on several locations across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, prompting Tehran to retaliate.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Iran decries ‘destructive' conduct by IAEA chief
TEHRAN: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that Tehran halted cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog due to what he called the agency chief's 'destructive' behaviour towards the Islamic republic, his office said Monday. 'The action taken by parliament members... is a natural response to the unjustified, unconstructive, and destructive conduct of the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency,' Pezeshkian told Macron in a phone call late Sunday, according to a presidency statement. On Wednesday, Iranian lawmakers voted in favour of a bill to suspend cooperation with the IAEA, citing Israel's June 13 attack on the Islamic republic and later strikes by the United States on nuclear facilities. A ceasefire between Iran and Israel took hold on June 24. Since the start of the war with Israel, Iranian officials have sharply criticised the agency for failing to condemn the strikes. Iran has also criticised the watchdog for passing a resolution on June 12 accusing it of non-compliance with its nuclear obligations. In a Sunday post on X, Macron said he called for 'respect for the ceasefire' and a return to negotiations to address 'ballistic and nuclear issues.' He further called for 'the swift resumption of the IAEA's work in Iran to ensure full transparency.' On Monday, France, Germany, and Britain condemned what they called 'threats' against the IAEA chief Rafael Grossi after Iran rejected its request to visit nuclear facilities bombed during the war. None specified which threats they were referring to, but Iran's ultra-conservative Kayhan newspaper recently claimed documents showed Grossi was an Israeli spy and should be executed. Iran has said Grossi's request to visit bombed sites signalled 'malign intent' but insisted that no threats were posed against Grossi or the agency's inspectors. On Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the Iranian parliament's decision to halt cooperation with the IAEA reflected the 'concern and anger of the Iranian public opinion.' He further criticised the United States and European powers for maintaining what he described as a 'political approach' toward Iran's nuclear programme during his weekly press conference. Baqaei also questioned how the safety of IAEA inspectors could be ensured while the extent of the damage to Iran's nuclear facilities -- targeted by Israel and the United States during the 12-day war -- remains unknown. 'One aspect of this issue is how to ensure the safety and security of the agency's inspectors, in a situation where there is still no accurate assessment of the severity of the damage,' he said.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Trump says not offering Iran ‘anything', nor speaking to them
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Monday he was not offering Iran anything nor talking to it 'since we totally obliterated' the country's nuclear facilities. 'I am not offering Iran ANYTHING, unlike Obama,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. 'Nor am I even talking to them since we totally OBLITERATED their Nuclear Facilities.' The statement comes as Iran's deputy foreign minister told the BBC that talks between Washington and Tehran cannot resume unless the US rules out further strikes on Iran. Majid Takht-Ravanchi told the British broadcaster that the US had signalled it wants to return to the negotiating table, a week after it struck three Iranian nuclear facilities. 'We have not agreed to any date, we have not agreed to the modality,' said Takht-Ravanchi. 'Right now we are seeking an answer to this question. Are we going to see a repetition of an act of aggression while we are engaging in dialogue?' The US needs to be 'quite clear on this very important question', he said. The two countries were in talks over Tehran's nuclear programme when Israel hit Iranian nuclear sites and military infrastructure this month, with the US joining by bombing three nuclear sites -- Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan -- on June 21. The deputy minister revealed to the BBC that the US had signalled it did 'not want to engage in regime change' by targeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Takht-Ravanchi also said Iran should still be allowed to enrich uranium. 'The level of that can be discussed, the capacity can be discussed, but to say that you should not have enrichment, you should have zero enrichment, and if you do not agree, we will bomb you, that is the law of the jungle,' he said. Israel claims that Iran's nuclear programme is close to producing a bomb, whereas Tehran says it is for peaceful purposes. It is not clear yet how much damage the strikes inflicted on Iran's nuclear facilities, which Trump has said were 'totally obliterated'. UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said Iran would probably be able to begin to produce enriched uranium 'in a matter of months'. Takht-Ravanchi said he did not know how long it would take. Under a 2015 deal, Iran was allowed to enrich uranium below 3.67 percent purity for fuel for commercial nuclear power plants. Trump abandoned the agreement in 2018 and Iran responded by producing uranium enriched to 60 percent -- above levels for civilian usage but still below weapons grade. That material, if further refined, would theoretically be sufficient to produce more than nine nuclear bombs.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
US must rule out more strikes before talks can resume: Iran
LONDON: Diplomatic talks between Washington and Tehran cannot resume unless the US rules out further strikes on Iran, its deputy foreign minister told the BBC late Sunday. Majid Takht-Ravanchi told the British broadcaster that the US had signalled it wants to return to the negotiating table, a week after it struck three Iranian nuclear facilities. 'We have not agreed to any date, we have not agreed to the modality,' said Takht-Ravanchi. 'Right now we are seeking an answer to this question. Are we going to see a repetition of an act of aggression while we are engaging in dialogue?' The US needed to be 'quite clear on this very important question', he said. The two countries were in talks over Tehran's nuclear programme when Israel hit Iranian nuclear sites and military infrastructure earlier this month, with the US joining by bombing three nuclear sites -- Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan -- on June 21. The deputy minister revealed to the BBC that the US had signalled it did 'not want to engage in regime change' by targeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Takht-Ravanchi also said Iran should still be allowed to enrich uranium. 'The level of that can be discussed, the capacity can be discussed, but to say that you should not have enrichment, you should have zero enrichment, and if you do not agree, we will bomb you, that is the law of the jungle,' he said. Israel claims that Iran's nuclear programme is close to producing a bomb, whereas Tehran says it is for peaceful purposes. It is not clear yet how much damage the strikes inflicted on Iran's nuclear facilities, which US President Donald Trump had said were 'totally obliterated'. UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said Iran would probably be able to begin to produce enriched uranium 'in a matter of months'. Takht-Ravanchi said he did not know how long it would take. Under a 2015 deal, Iran was allowed to enrich uranium below 3.67 percent purity for fuel for commercial nuclear power plants. Trump abandoned the agreement in 2018 and Iran responded by producing uranium enriched to 60 percent -- above levels for civilian usage but still below weapons grade. That material, if further refined, would theoretically be sufficient to produce more than nine nuclear bombs.
