‘Everyone I know is panicking': Fear grips Sydney Iranian community
Melika, who asked to go by her first name, is in the dark when it comes to the wellbeing of her family living in Iran, like much of the diaspora in Australia amid the country's war with Israel.
She said communication has been extremely limited since the war began, and that she last heard from her father after Shiraz, the city he lives in, was bombed.
'I got a message through Instagram, he said not to worry, that he wasn't hurt, and he would try and call me when he can. I haven't heard back since, though.
'I have no idea where he is, or how he is doing. It has been extremely stressful – everyone I know is panicking.'
She said the uncertainty was exacerbating general anxiety among Iranian Australians about the conflict but that she was glad to be away from the violence, which escalated at the weekend as the United States bombed nuclear facilities in Iran.
'I am happy here, but my heart is over there. But at the same time, I would not want to be there right now, with all the stress and the lack of internet. So we are all torn like this.'
Her description of a community torn was a recurring image in discussions with other members of the community, some of whom feared being identified in a story on the Iranian regime.
Freda Asnoori has been in Australia with her parents and siblings since 1972 and has spent the past week desperately attempting to contact her cousins still living in Iran.
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