Malaysian evacuees safely return home after harrowing 1,000km journey from war-torn Iran, thanks to regional cooperation
SEPANG, June 23 — A total of 24 individuals, including 17 Malaysians, who were evacuated from Iran following escalating conflict in the country, have safely returned home.
Malaysia Airlines flight MH781 carrying the evacuees landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 1 at 11.03pm yesterday.
They were welcomed by the Foreign Ministry's Deputy Secretary-General (Bilateral Affairs), Datuk Ahmad Rozian Abd Ghani.
The group comprised 17 Malaysians, six Iranian dependents of Malaysian citizens, and one Singaporean national.
Malaysia's Ambassador to Iran, Khairi Omar, who led the group, told the media they had to travel by land for about 1,000 kilometres to exit Tehran.
'We chose a route away from the source of the attacks, which were coming from the west, so we headed east. Alhamdulillah, we received strong cooperation from the Turkmenistan government, which allowed foreign nationals to cross the border,' he said.
He added that around 12 Malaysians were still in Iran and Wisma Putra was closely monitoring their situation to ensure their safety and well-being.
According to a statement from Wisma Putra, all 24 individuals crossed the Iran–Turkmenistan border on June 21, 2025, and boarded a Turkmenistan Airlines flight T5 647 on June 22, 2025, to Bangkok, Thailand, before continuing their journey on Malaysia Airlines flight MH781 to Kuala Lumpur.
The evacuation, coordinated by the Malaysian Embassy in Tehran, involved a 1,120-kilometre land journey to the Iran-Turkmenistan border. The Malaysian embassies in Ashgabat and Bangkok also facilitated flight arrangements from Ashgabat to Malaysia.
The Foreign Ministry expressed its deepest appreciation to the governments of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Turkmenistan, and Thailand for their close cooperation, which enabled the smooth return home for the Malaysians.
'This evacuation process reflects the Malaysian Government's continued commitment to ensuring the safety and welfare of its citizens, in line with the core value of 'Ihsan' (Compassion) under the Malaysia Madani framework,' the statement said.
Wisma Putra also confirmed that the Malaysian Embassy in Ashgabat assisted in the repatriation of Bruneian citizens from Turkmenistan to their home country.
It added that the involvement of a Singaporean citizen in the evacuation and the assistance extended to Brunei nationals reflected Malaysia's readiness to offer support to citizens of fellow Asean nations, in the spirit of regional solidarity. — Bernama
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