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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians stuck in Iran amid an escalating conflict with Israel have spoken of their anxieties in trying to leave the country, as well as relief after they were finally evacuated by their government.
The group of 17 Malaysians arrived back at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Sunday (Jun 22) night, along with six Iranians and one Singaporean.
For one Malaysian evacuee, there was also a sense of déjà vu.
It was the second time 72-year-old Suraiya Ali had been caught in a conflict in the Islamic republic. The first was more than 40 years ago during the Iran-Iraq war.
“Forty years ago, after I got married and finished my studies, I lived in Iran. I was there when the Iran-Iraq war broke out,” she told the New Straits Times (NST) when met at KLIA.
“I even worked there briefly but had to return to Malaysia when my son was just two years old.”
“I never returned (back to Iran) until two weeks ago, and once again, war broke out. I was trapped twice, 40 years apart,” Suraiya recounted.
Suraiya had travelled to Iran on Jun 13 with her husband to celebrate Aidiladha and visit her family.
Aidiladha is a major holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide for three to four days.
She and her husband were scheduled to return on Jun 18 but flight cancellations and airport closures had left them stranded.
In a major escalation, Israel on Jun 13 launched airstrikes against Iran’s military targets and nuclear programmes, as well as targeting scientists and generals. Explosions were seen and heard in the capital city, Tehran.
Iranians wait for relatives to cross from Iran into Turkey at Kapikoy border post, in Kapikoy, Turkey on Jun 22, 2025. (Photo: AP/Rusen Takva)
“We didn’t know what to do. My husband bought tickets to Dubai for Jun 29, but the situation kept deteriorating,” Suraiya told reporters as quoted by NST.
Her prayers were eventually answered when her son in Malaysia informed her that the Malaysian Embassy in Tehran and Malaysia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry Wisma Putra had arranged an evacuation.
“ARDUOUS LONG JOURNEYS, DANGEROUS ROADS” IN 1,000KM OVERLAND JOURNEY
“We boarded a 15-hour-bus ride from Shiraz to Tehran to meet the embassy’s departure deadline,” Suraiya recounted.
“The embassy staff treated us like family. It wasn’t easy, we endured long journeys and dangerous roads but we were never left on our own,” Suraiya added.
On Sunday, Malaysia's Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a news release that the group comprised one Singaporean, 17 Malaysians and six Iranians who are dependents of Malaysian citizens.
They crossed the Iran-Turkmenistan border on Saturday and arrived at KLIA via a Malaysia Airlines flight.
The group of 24 evacuees crossed the Iran-Turkmenistan border and arrived at KLIA via a Malaysia Airlines flight. (File Photo: CNA/Fadza Ishak)
Malaysia’s ambassador to Iran, Khairi Omar, who led the group, told the media on Sunday that they had to travel about 1,000km by land to exit Tehran.
According to a statement from the Foreign Ministry, all 24 individuals crossed the Iran-Turkmenistan border on Jun 21 and boarded Turkmenistan Airlines Flight T5 647 on Jun 22 to Bangkok before continuing their journey to Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Airlines flight MH781.
The Malaysian embassies in Turkmenistan’s capital Ashgabat and Bangkok facilitated flight arrangements from Ashgabat to Malaysia.
“We chose a route away from the source of the attacks, which were coming from the west, so we headed east. Thankfully, we received strong cooperation from the Turkmenistan government, which allowed foreign nationals to cross the border,” Khairi said, as quoted by Bernama.
For 33-year-old Fadli Yusni, the crisis pushed him to make a bold decision to attempt to fly to Iran to evacuate his wife Zainab, an Iranian national and student in Malaysia who had been stranded in the Islamic Republic while visiting her parents.
“I couldn’t just wait here (in Malaysia). I wanted to go to her and bring her home myself,” he told NST.
“The past 10 days were filled with panic. I kept checking the news, my phone. Every time I couldn’t reach her, I feared the worst,” Fadli said.
The 33-year-old eventually sought help from the Malaysian Embassy in Tehran, which was in close contact with Khairi - the Malaysian ambassador - who assisted Fadli in registering his wife Zainab for evacuation.
Smoke rises following an Israeli attack on the IRIB building, the country's state broadcaster, in Tehran, Iran on Jun 16, 2025. (File Photo: Reuters/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/ Majid Asgaripour)
Both Khairi and Suraiya had expressed their appreciation to the embassy and everyone involved in the evacuation.
The group of evacuees were welcomed by Malaysia’s foreign ministry’s deputy secretary-general of bilateral affairs Ahmad Rozian Abd Ghani on Sunday at the airport.
The foreign ministry meanwhile expressed its appreciation to the governments of Iran, Turkmenistan and Thailand for their cooperation which enabled the smooth return home for the Malaysians.
“The inclusion of a Singaporean citizen in this operation, along with the assistance extended to the citizens of Brunei Darussalam, further reflects Malaysia’s readiness to provide support to nationals of fellow ASEAN member states, in line with the spirit of regional solidarity,” read the ministry’s statement on Jun 22.
This is as the ministry confirmed that the Malaysian embassy in Ashgabat had assisted in the repatriation of Bruneian citizens from Turkmenistan to their home country.
According to Khairi, Malaysia’s ambassador to Iran, around 12 Malaysians were still in Iran, and the foreign ministry was closely monitoring their situation to ensure their safety, Free Malaysia Today reported.
On Saturday, Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hassan ordered the temporary closure of the Malaysian Embassy in Iran, instructing the embassy staff in the country to return home immediately.
THREE OTHER SINGAPOREANS EVACUATED TO OMAN: SINGAPORE’S MFA
On Monday, Singapore’s Foreign Ministry in a statement also confirmed that a family of three Singaporeans was evacuated from Tehran to Oman's Muscat alongside a group of Omanis and other nationals.
Singapore's MFA said that it has been providing consular assistance to Singaporeans in Iran, including exploring evacuation options in the absence of a Singapore diplomatic mission in Iran.
"The Singapore Embassy in Muscat and the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur worked closely with their host governments and embassy counterparts to facilitate the Singaporeans’ departure from Iran," it said on Monday, expressing its gratitude to the governments of Oman and Malaysia.
Protesters display a banner during a rally supporting the Palestinians in Gaza and call for an end to the war between Israel and Iran in Jakarta, Indonesia on Jun 20, 2025. (Photo: AP/Dita Alangkara)
Meanwhile, in Indonesia, its foreign ministry confirmed that the individuals evacuated from Iran will be flown home in phases on Monday, reported Antara news agency.
“The first batch of flights by commercial airlines will depart on Monday and arrive in Jakarta on Jun 24,” Director for the Protection of Indonesians Judha Nugraha said in his written remarks on Sunday.
Those evacuated comprised 93 Indonesians, three Indonesian embassy staff and an Iranian spouse of an Indonesian, who were evacuated from Iran to Azerbaijan.
Photos published by Indonesia’s foreign ministry on Sunday showed its top official Rolliansyah Soemirat accompanying the evacuated Indonesians to Astara, Iran, before crossing the Iran-Azerbaijan border on Saturday evening local time.
