Sydney Grandmother’s Harrowing Escape from Iran Amid War

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Sydney Grandmother’s Harrowing Escape from Iran Amid War

For 70-year-old Frances from Sydney this meant being stuck in – literally – the middle of a pressure point. She was stuck in the middle of the growing war between Iran and Israel. After Frances spent four decades developing and working as a clinical healthcare professional, advocating for change in New South Wales. After Israel launched airstrikes on Iran in mid-June, she signed up with the DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) crisis register portal. That decision forced her to make a life-threatening overland trek to the Iran-Azerbaijan border in pursuit of safety.

After 5 days of uncertainty and desperation, Frances finally managed to cross into Azerbaijan, from where she traveled to Baku. She had to fly home to Australia through Dubai. It was her daughter, who is in her last year of high school, that booked the flight for her. So Frances was understandably happy to leave the wartorn area. She was unhappy with the help DFAT gave her throughout her experience.

A Journey Through Chaos

Frances’s journey took place within a period of unprecedented violence and fear along the border. The war suddenly broke out, creating a very dangerous situation for many Australians outside the country. Frances joined thousands who had previously registered with DFAT, initially seeking help when the bombing began. But there were still major holes in the support the federal government provided, her experience showed.

I asked them: ‘Please, I need help. This is happening, this is my situation’. A few times I called them, Frances recounted, expressing her frustration. While stationed on the border, Frances experienced an even more serious challenge when her heart medications ran out. This made her travel much deeper into Iran in her search for medical care, compounding her trauma.

“When I am sick myself and I can’t get my medication … honestly I can say they didn’t care,” she remarked. Her testimony brings to life the emotional and physical toll the entire journey had on her health and well-being. Through all these challenges, Frances never lost her spirit and determination to go home.

The Relief of Homecoming

After what seemed like a lifetime, Frances was finally over the border into Azerbaijan and on her way to the capital, Baku. Her daughter was there to help, just when it was most needed. Thanks to her quick thinking, Frances was able to secure a flight, returning home before school break. By the time Frances returned to Sydney, she was hit with a tidal wave of emotion and relief. She had just survived a medical tragedy and traumatic escape from her war-torn homeland.

Frances relaxing after her rollercoaster ride. She shared tender moments with her grandkids lounging by the pool en route to the zoo. The pleasure of being back with family only emphasized the disorder she had just escaped. For Frances, that experience has been nothing short of miraculous—she feels “as though [she has] survived war, and [is] overjoyed.”

Broader Implications of Conflict

Together, Frances’s story tells not just of individual hardship, but the toll of the never-ending war in the region. Tensions are sharply rising between Iran and Israel. More recently, experts have called attention to as yet unrealized human rights abuses that loom large over post-conflict settings. UN human rights experts cautioned states against using such crises as a pretext for stifling dissent and consolidating repressive measures.

“Post-conflict situations must not be used as an opportunity to suppress dissent and increase repression,” they stated. This cautionary tale rings particularly true in light of Frances’s story and others who have become ensnared in a loop of punitive debt.

Plus, as Sharam Akbarzadeh, professor of Asia-Pacific Studies, noted, people trapped in war seek personal safety first, political revolution second. “When the bombs are falling on Tehran, they have more immediate concerns like their own safety than to worry about changing the government,” he observed.

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