Emergency workers check the damage caused to a building from an Iranian missile strike in Beersheba in southern Israel. Photo: AFP / JOHN WESSELS
On 13 June, Israel launched a surprise air attack on Iranian nuclear facilities and killing top military commanders.
Iran, which denies trying to build nuclear weapons, retaliated with missiles on Israeli military sites and cities.
While a bilateral ceasefire is now in place, with the two countries agreeing to halt attacks, for Iranian Kiwis the war has severed consistent contact with their families. The uncertainty of what comes next continues to weigh heavily on them.
With this episode of Here Now, we take a break from the ongoing music series, Back to Basics.
In light of the situation in Iran, we speak to two Iranian New Zealanders who have spent the last few weeks in despair and worry about the fate of their families in Iran, and that of their homeland.
The women have asked to remain anonymous for reasons of personal safety and that of their families in Iran. For the purpose of the podcast, we've called them Mina and Ava.
"I'm 14 weeks pregnant," Mina said. "My husband went back to Iran three weeks ago to visit his mom, who had a back surgery.
"He went there to take care of her, and come back with my own mum to be with us during my pregnancy and for the birth of my child. Their flight got cancelled."
At least 80 NZ Iranians were trapped in Iran. An NZDF aircraft has been deployed to bring back those stranded New Zealand citizens and Mina hopes her husband can get on this flight.
Both Mina and Ava are PhD holders, and work in the fields of software and education in two different cities across New Zealand. They managed to take some time off, while the war raged over these past weeks.
As New Zealand arranges for citizens to be brought back safely, the logistics of locating family members has been a huge challenge. Some were in regions with poor internet access and unable register themselves with MFAT.
"It's a really challenging time at the moment," Ava said. "I'm alone here, all my family are back in Iran and I'm really worried about them.
"I haven't heard from them in last two, three days. To be honest, I don't know what's going to happen."
Over the course of the war, 627 people have been killed in Iran by Israeli strikes and nearly 5000 injured. Iran's retaliatory bombardment has killed 28 in Israel.
Many in the New Zealand Iranian community hope an emergency visa can be provided to family members in Iran, so they can join them here in New Zealand. So far, there has been no indication this will be offered by MBIE.
Through all this, the women have felt supported by their networks at work, who've extended a sense of empathy and care for their situation.
"They are really kind, even though they are really confused with the situation," Ava said. "I really thank them for their respect, even though they don't know what's happening in the background.
"I mean, you just can see the news, but inside the community, lots of other things are happening."
While the ceasefire seems to be holding and their family members are soon to return to New Zealand on the rescue flight, things continue to feel fragile and uncertain for many in Iranian community.
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