Escape from Tehran: Indonesian evacuees recall final hours in Iran

After arriving in Jakarta, they will go to their respective hometowns. Read more at straitstimes.com.

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JAKARTA – When bombs from the United States-Israeli strike against Iran started falling on Tehran, 69-year-old Zulfan Lindan chose to do what many other Indonesians living in the country have yet to do: ask to be evacuated back to Jakarta.

Mr Zulfan was among 32 Indonesians who opted to be evacuated from Iran amid the escalating US-Iran war on Iran, as Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry prioritises protection of citizens in the war-torn region.

Since the first wave of strikes against Tehran on Feb 28, Mr Zulfan said he had seen on a nightly basis the city’s streets filled with thousands of protesters venting their anger at Washington’s unilateral actions. Missiles streaking overhead have become so normalized that locals now stop at the street to watch rather than run for cover.

The Indonesian Embassy in Tehran sent out a letter to Indonesians in the country on March 3 along with a form offering evacuation from Iran. Mr Zulfan was among dozens of people who filled out the form, allowing him to secure a ticket home.

Two days later, Mr Zulfan made his way to the embassy in Tehran, preparing to make his journey home while seeing “10 bombs fly over the (embassy) building, each weighing around one to two kilograms”, as he recalled his final hours in the Iranian capital during a press briefing at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten on March 10.