Residents from the South East were among 872 stranded Australians in Iran as conflict escalated in the Middle East.
Due to safety concerns, names and locations aren’t revealed in this article.
A Greater Dandenong resident travelled to Iran along with her mother to visit family.
They were due to fly back on Thursday 19 June but all flights were cancelled as Iran’s airspace closed off.
Through a weak internet signal, she described the situation as dangerous.
Residents with family members in Iran say they cannot get in touch with them due to limited to no internet connection, heightening their concerns.
A City of Casey resident is also stuck in the country and in close proximity to one of the areas bombed by Israel’s military.
She witnessed black smokes in the air, buildings crumble and some move away to a safe location.
“There were a lot of explosions on the very first night, it went for an hour behind our place.
“The banks are closed and all accounts are blocked.
“It’s difficult to take cash out and recently there was a limit of 300 rials withdrawal.”
She got in a car along with her family to find anywhere safe to stay, away from the bombardment.
A spokesperson for Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the safety of Australians are a priority, and has urged Australians to take shelter in Iran and follow the advice of local authorities in affected areas.
“The Government understands this is distressing time for Australians in the region, and for their loved ones back home.
“Airspace is closed in Iran, Israel, and Iraq and there remains intermittent airspace closures in Jordan.
“This is because of the risk to commercial aircraft from the strikes.
“DFAT’s consular team is working to assist Australians to safety, via land and air when it is safe to do so.
“Australian citizens or permanent resident in the region can register on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s crisis registration portal.
“We continue to communicate directly with registered Australians with important updates, so it is important that those registered keep their details up to date.”
As of Wednesday 18 June there were 872 Australian passport holders and family members registered on the DFAT Crisis Portal and confirmed as wanting to depart.
