Out of the fray: Dr Suraiya (centre) and Dr Ali (second from left) being greeted by family upon their arrival from Iran at KLIA Terminal 1. — Bernama
SEPANG: The arrival of 24 evacuees, among them 17 Malaysians, at KL International Airport marked a moment of profound relief after days of uncertainty in Iran.
But for Dr Suraiya Mohd Ali, the fear and chaos felt eerily familiar.
Four decades ago, she lived through the Iran-Iraq war after marrying her Iranian husband, Dr Ali R. Ebadi.
This time, she once again found herself trapped in Iran amid the threat of conflict between Iran and Israel.
Dr Suraiya had flown to Iran on June 13 with her 75-year-old husband to celebrate Hari Raya Aidiladha with his family.
“We were supposed to return on June 18, but all the flights were cancelled and airports shut down. We didn’t know what to do,” she said after arriving here on Sunday night.
The couple, stranded at her sister-in-law’s home in Siraf, had considered an escape route through Dubai.
Her husband purchased a ticket for June 29; however, the situation grew increasingly perilous with each passing day.
Then came a lifeline. A message from her child in Malaysia informed her that the Malaysian Embassy in Teheran, along with Wisma Putra, was coordinating an evacuation for stranded Malaysians.
That night, after making the call, she and her husband began a 15-hour journey by bus from Siraf to Teheran.
“We were told to be at the embassy by 6am on Friday. That’s where the evacuation would begin,” she said.
Dr Suraiya married Dr Ebadi after completing her studies and moved to Iran.
However, she had to return to Malaysia with their child 40 years ago when the Iran-Iraq war made it too dangerous to stay.
“I had never gone back until two weeks ago,” she recalled.
“And once more, I found myself caught in the middle of conflict.”
The doctor recounted that “the feeling is the same, but this time it is worse than 40 years ago”.
Despite the palpable tension and arduous journey, she was full of praise for the Malaysian officials who helped get her home safely.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude to the Malaysian government and Wisma Putra.
“They were extremely kind and helpful to us along the journey,” she said.
For restaurant owner Fadhil Yusni, 33, the past 10 days were marked by anxiety and constant fear.
His wife, Zainab Ganood, had travelled to Mashhad, Iran, to visit her parents but had been stranded due to the conflict.
“Every day felt like a nightmare. Whenever I heard news of bombings, my heart sank because I couldn’t reach her,” he said.
As the situation in Iran worsened due to Israeli airstrikes, he maintained close communication with the Malaysian embassy in Teheran, particularly with Ambassador Khairi Omar, who provided guidance throughout the evacuation process.
With the help of embassy officials, he managed to get his wife registered for extraction. They were reunited on the flight to Malaysia.
Fadhil is concerned for his in-laws in Iran.
“I’m still working on getting them out,” he said.
He thanked Wisma Putra for their swift action and coordination during the evacuation efforts.
The 24 people were evacuated from Iran on Sunday, travelling over 1,000km by land to cross the Iran-Turkmenistan border.
The operation was spearheaded by the Malaysian Embassy in Teheran, with support from Malaysian missions in Ashgabat and Bangkok to facilitate flight logistics.
