Perth engineer Vahid’s desperate plea from Iran as border restrictions leave families stranded

Australians stranded in Iran say Federal Government advice to escape by crossing international borders is not feasible for the most vulnerable, amid fears a fragile truce between Israel and Iran could break.

Efforts to bring Australians home have been complicated by border restrictions and flight path closures.

Perth engineer Vahid said his sister Azam and their parents Ezat, 70, and Hossein, 86, had travelled to Iran in June 2024 so his father could undergo health checks before returning to Australia as their permanent residency application was being processed.

But the family has been left stranded after airports were shut down and borders closed following the outbreak of fighting. To make matters worse, his parents’ visas have expired, making a return even more difficult.

“Dad is 86 years old and cannot travel long distances by car to the Azerbaijani border or Turkey to get to the Australian consulate because the consular office in Tehran is closed,” he said.

He is pleading with the Federal Government for guidance after the only advice provided was to cross the border into Azerbaijan or to shelter in place.

The trip, which Azam, Ezat and Hossein would have to organise, would take at least 12 hours by car.

“There is no other option except to go through the border by car,” said Vahid, who asked for his surname not to be used.

“This solution is not feasible for them — for people like my parents at that age — it’s not feasible for them to travel long distances.”

The family is under immense stress, fearing the “fragile” ceasefire could shatter, and is unable to escape the capital to a safer location due to Hossein’s age.

“I experience lots of stress, maybe double the stress, because I can see the situation and I don’t have any options to help them,” Vahid said.

He urged authorities to issue his parents with new visas and to help his sister, an Australian citizen, return to her son in Sydney, saying the situation was “out of their hands”. About 3200 Australians wanting to leave Iran have registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Iranian Community of WAa president Mohammad Bahar said those he had spoken with were happy with the advice and felt the Government “never forgot them”.

DFAT says it is supporting Australians secure seats on commercial flights that are starting to resume out of Iran.

Australians can leave Iran using border crossings into Azerbaijan, Turkey, Armenia or Turkmenistan, with the Smartraveller website adding those who can’t or don’t want to leave should monitor local developments and follow local advice.

A ceasefire was reached after 12 days of war, which erupted when Israel launched attacks on Iranian military and nuclear sites.

The assault triggered waves of retaliatory strikes before the US president intervened to put an end to the escalating violence.