Iranian Australians share their pain amid shaky ceasefire with Israel
Australian residents with family in Iran are living in a state of constant anxiety.
Despite an apparent ceasefire between Iran and Israel, the fragile nature of the situation means many people are still worried about the safety of their loved ones and some are calling for help to get them out of the country.
Bahar Chaichi, who moved to Australia from Iran 13 years ago to pursue her career as an engineer, said she felt like she was a world away.
"Most of the time we feel guilty that we are sitting here in Australia in such a safe, lovely, beautiful place," she said.
Ms Chaichi is the president of the Australian Iranian Community of the NSW city of Newcastle, and is one of more than 85,000 Iranians living in Australia.
It has been more than a week since Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran, killing leaders, scientists and civilians.
Since then Iran and Israel have traded missile strikes and the United States entered the conflict, launching an attack on Iranian nuclear sites.
A ceasefire has since been agreed to by both countries but tensions remain high.
Amineh Pirouzi has watched the violence with horror, fearing for her daughter Mahdiah who still lives in Tehran, with her three children and her husband.
"I fear that my daughter will die of stress and fear," Ms Pirouzi said.
"No-one understands my pain and suffering."
Ms Pirouzi has been unable to sleep and has missed days of work.
The Australian citizen moved to Iran from Afghanistan when she was two, coming to Australia in 2014 and now living on the NSW Mid North Coast.
She hopes the ceasefire will provide an opportunity to get her daughter out.
Last year, Mahdiah and her family applied to migrate to Australia under the Community Support Program, but no decision has been made on their application.
"I plead with the Australian government to help my daughter flee as soon as possible," Ms Pirouzi said.
Some Iranians in Australia hope that the conflict will help prompt regime change.
Iranian refugees Azin Naghibi and Hesan Orouji travelled to Australia in 2013.
They say they were targeted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Mr Orouji is a member of Iran's Novin Party, which hopes to install the descendant of the last Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, as the country's head of state.
He said the war was an opportunity for a change of government.
"This is the only historic chance we have to not be killed by the Islamic Regime again and again," he said.
The couple have family in Iran's capital who have chosen not to evacuate despite warnings from the United States and Israel.
Ms Naghibi said she had heard people say they wanted to stay in the hope they would witness the fall of the Islamic regime.
"They tell us, 'I want to watch it, I want to be there when it happens,'" she said.
"The people of Iran don't deserve this, but the hope is greater than all of that."
Bahar Chaichi said ultimately, it would be civilians who suffered.
"Like any other wars, obviously, people, normal people, were not in the decision-making process to initiate the wars," she said.
She said Iranian people had survived past wars and would persevere in the face of the latest crisis.
"We've been attacked so many times, for so many reasons, by so many names, by so many nations," she said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
‘Blamed myself': Sussan Ley reveals she has experienced coercive control
Liberal leader Sussan Ley has revealed she has experienced domestic violence in the form of coercive control in her life vowing she 'understands the pain' it causes families. Conceding the Liberals 'got smashed' the last election, Ms Ley has vowed to reconnect with women and young voters to rebuild the pathway to government. In a highly personal speech at the National Press Club, Ms Ley has revealed she had experienced coercive control in a previous relationship and wanted to tackle the scourge of domestic violence. Coercive control is an act or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, or frighten their victim. Examples include making threats, isolating you from friends and family, monitoring you via online communication tools or spyware repeatedly putting you down, such as saying you're worthless, humiliating, degrading or dehumanising you or controlling your finances. 'I want the women of Australia to hear me when I say to them, as a national leader, I understand the fear you feel when you go for a walk alone,' the new Liberal leader said. 'Because I have felt that fear too. I understand the pain that comes with coercion and control because I have felt that pain too. 'I understand what it's like when you blame yourself for the actions of others. Because I have blamed myself too.' Ms Ley, 63, the first female leader of the Liberal Party in Australian history, said she would 'never let domestic and family violence fall down the list of priorities'. 'We need new approaches, stronger partnerships, greater resources, and absolute resolve. We need men's groups to step up, because men's health policy is women's safety policy,' she said. 'The scale of loss Australia has seen from domestic and family violence is unacceptable.' Asked if she had first-hand experience with domestic violence, Ms Ley replied that, 'many people have told me their personal stories and I have identified with them'. 'As Liberals, we'll always stand up for women and children,' she said. 'The Liberal Party I lead will work constructively on our country's greatest national shame, family and domestic violence. 'One in two women has experienced sexual harassment in their lifetime. 'From the age of 15, one in three women has experienced violence and one in six have experienced physical or sexual abuse. 'Last term, I stood in the Parliament and I read out the names of women who had lost their lives in just one year. These women are not just statistics. 'They are mothers, daughters, friends. They had hopes and dreams.' Vow to tackle 'addictive' social media Accusing social media giants including Facebook and TikTok of 'peddling addictive technology to children' she also warned that there was a case for stronger government intervention. 'Another area that demands stronger government intervention is the protection of our children from devices and technology. The rise of digital technology and social media has changed the world and unlocked so much potential,' she said. 'But in opening those doors, strangers have unfortunately been let into the lives of our children. We have allowed some of the smartest people in the world to make billions of dollars by peddling addictive technology to children. 'And it's shortening their childhoods. Parents need the government in their corner to help fight this fight.' She also raised concerns over the rise of deep fake pornography. 'We're seeing AI technology commoditise our kids and deep fakes ruin the lives of women. 'Prime Minister, when it comes to standing up for women and children, I'm ready to work with you.'
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Gareth Ward sexually touched and pressed his groin against young man, jury hears
NSW MP Gareth Ward allegedly sexually touched and restrained a teenage man during an unwanted massage where the politician allegedly pressed his groin against the younger man's buttocks, a jury has heard. Mr Ward has pleaded not guilty to four charges, including indecent assault against the then-18-year-old man in 2013, when Mr Ward was 31. He has also pleaded not guilty to the charge of sexual intercourse without consent against a second complainant in 2015, when the man was 24. The second complainant told the NSW District Court yesterday that he believed his association with the MP had grown to "friendship" and he was a "mate". On the evening of February 8, 2013, when the assault is alleged to have taken place, the man was feeling low following an issue with his girlfriend at a party. The court heard Mr Ward called him, expressed concern, and offered to pay for a taxi to his home in Meroo Meadow. Continuing his evidence on Wednesday, he told the jury the pair were alone at the house when he laid down on the back lawn and pretended to be passed out as a prank. The man said Mr Ward shook him "a little" and said his name, trying to wake him, as he lay pretending to be passed out. "I was thinking the prank is going well — it's just about over — I was about to say 'gotcha' … and he put his right hand down my pants," the complainant told the court. "I just felt his hand go onto my buttocks and I basically froze … I literally had no idea what to do or how to handle it. He said then opened his eyes and winced because he could not understand what was happening but said he felt "shrivelled up inside" and that it was "the most awkward feeling ever". The court heard Mr Ward then moved his hand towards the front of the man's shorts, making brief contact with his upper thigh and genitals. The complainant said he was wearing a T-shirt and shorts, but not any underpants that night, which he said may have been because his shorts had internal mesh or he had not done any washing. He said what stuck with him was the sensation of Mr Ward's touch, "the feeling of his skin on my skin", and that "he was breathing heavily,". The man said he stood up, said he wanted to go to sleep and walked inside. When they entered the house, he said the MP put his hands on his shoulders and insisted he was "too drunk to sleep alone". He said he felt unable to refuse because admitting he was not that drunk would mean confronting what had just happened outside. While in the bedroom, the complainant alleged Mr Ward straddled him on the bed, sat on his buttocks, with his groin pressing against him, and massaged his lower back. "So, I kind of froze again, and after not too long, I told him to stop. I said, 'I am going to sleep, stop that,' he told the court. The complainant told the court he weighed about 60 kilograms at the time, and Mr Ward was bigger. "He was heavy to move, I couldn't stop him," he said. The complainant told the court he eventually convinced Mr Ward to stop, fell asleep, left the MP's house the next morning and put the incident aside. As he continued to give evidence, the Crown asked why he stayed in touch with Mr Ward after the alleged incidents. The complainant said he believed maintaining the friendship was socially and professionally valuable. He has also been asked to explain drug use at the time, including cocaine and speed, and said it helped him with productivity. The complainant is continuing to give evidence. The trial continues in its fifth week, with today the 17th day of proceedings. The jury has been told the case, originally set down for four weeks, is expected to run for another two weeks.
SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
Israel reopens its airspace amid a fragile ceasefire with Iran
Israel reopens its airspace amid a fragile ceasefire with Iran... Inflation falls to a seven-month low... Rising star Murphy Reid accepts a two-year contract extension with Fremantle. Israel has reopened its airspace amid a fragile ceasefire with Iran, providing hope that Australians stranded in the Middle East may soon be able to return home on commercial flights. Overnight, the Australian Defence Force evacuated 119 Australians and their families from Tel Aviv on repatriation flights. It remains unclear how many Australians are seeking to return home from Israel and Iran, but over 4,000 have registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for help to leave the region. Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh says Australians should continue engaging with the department, but regular commercial flights may soon be available providing another option. US President Donald Trump has criticised media outlets for reporting a leaked intelligence assessment that has cast doubt over the success of US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. The preliminary report leaked to CBS found America's attack over the weekend only set back Iran's nuclear program by a few months, contrary to claims made by President Trump and other senior officials that the sites were obliterated. Trump administration officials scaled back their comments, telling the UN Security Council the attack had degraded Iran's nuclear program, rather than obliterated it, but President Trump continues to insist the nuclear site was destroyed. US Vice President JD Vance says President Trump's actions in Iran struck the right balance between defending American interests and entering a war. " What I call the Trump Doctrine is quite simple. Number one, you articulate a clear American interest and that's, in this case, that Iran can't have a nuclear weapon. Number two, you try to aggressively, diplomatically solve that problem. And, number three, when you can't solve it diplomatically, you use overwhelming military power to solve it, and then you get the hell out of there before it ever becomes a protracted conflict." Hundreds of Australia's leading First Nations justice advocates, experts and community leaders have gathered in Alice Springs for a two-day conference to discuss evidence-based alternatives to incarceration. The issue has gained increased attention following the recent deaths of two Indigenous men in police custody in the Northern Territory. There have been nearly 600 [[598]] Indigenous deaths in custody in the last 34 years since a Royal Commission on the issue handed down its report in 1991. Robert Tickner was the federal Aboriginal Affairs Minister at the time, who presented the report to parliament. He says inaction over key recommendations has led the justice system toward a state of collapse. " In three and a half decades, almost, since the Royal Commission report came down, things have really gotten worse. At this particular point in time, we are at the lowest point we've been. We've got now record levels of Aboriginal incarceration right around Australia, and we've got a youth detention centre which is totally failing. It's almost at the point of collapse." Inflation has fallen to a seven-month low, raising hopes of an imminent cut to interest rates. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows headline inflation fell 0.3 per cent in May to 2.1 per cent - the lowest level since October 2024. The monthly figures also show a decline in trimmed mean inflation, a measure of underlying inflation, from 2.8 per cent to 2.4 per cent in the month. Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the figures are especially encouraging given the volatility of the global economy. Economists have predicted a further three interest rate cuts before the end of 2025, which could lead to the cash rate falling to 3.1 per cent. Aldi has again come out on top in a survey of supermarket prices by consumer advocacy group Choice. The quarterly survey compares the cost of 14 common grocery items at four major chains around the country. It found Aldi provided the best value with a checkout cost of $55.35. Woolworths came in just under $59 dollars and Coles WAS not far behind. IGA was the worst value at $69 dollars. Choice CEO Ashley da Silva says Choice included more fresh produce in its basket this time and found the overall price gap decreased. "Aldi are still the best deal overall and that's true whether it's with specials or without specials, but that gap between Aldi and some of the major supermarkets has shortened on the basis of this new basket." He also says shoppers in Tasmania and the Northern Territory who can't access Aldi face higher prices overall. Fremantle have handed rising star Murphy Reid a two-year contract extension, tying him to the club until the end of 2029. The 18-year-old has kicked 16 goals across 14 games this season, and is among the favourites to take out this year's Rising Star award, along with Brisbane's Levi Ashcroft and Essendon's Archie Roberts.
