10 hours ago
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.
