'I'm so scared': Iranian in NZ fears 'a bigger war'
Smoke rises following an Israeli attack in Tehran, Iran, earlier this month. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
An Iranian in New Zealand has been plagued by stress as the conflict between Iran and Israel escalates.
Although most of Elham Salari's family had fled from Tehran to the south of Iran, she worried about those who had stayed behind.
"It's like a feeling that your body is in a safe place, but your mind is not. It's like a detachment between the body and soul," she said.
President Donald Trump announced that the United States has completed a "very successful attack" on nuclear sites in Iran - including Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan - on Sunday.
"I'm so scared. I'm so stressed... all I'm thinking is 'What's going to happen next?' Trump said he wants peace... but Iran's regime will not let it go easily. There will be a bigger war. It's going to destroy our country and our people are going to die."
Salari added it had made her "extremely anxious" to only have limited contact with her family members.
Iran's internet connectivity had been partially restored after the Iranian government significantly restricted internet access across the country earlier in the week to protect against Israeli cyberattacks.
Salari said she had woken up to messages from her family earlier on Sunday who confirmed they were safe, but she had not been able to get back in contact with them since.
"The internet comes a little bit, you get to hear about them, and then it's gone again, so that's also adding to the anxiety, because you can't hear from them... it feels like this silence is more worrying."
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