TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Ali Murtado, a 20-year-old student from Gresik, East Java, was among 11 Indonesian citizens evacuated from Iran, arriving in Indonesia on Tuesday night, June 24. He has been studying for nearly two years at Al-Mustafa International University in Qom before the conflict with Israel heightened Iran's security risks
He was one of the students who sought refuge at the Indonesian embassy in Tehran before the evacuation began. He described the atmosphere as tense and gripping, as the sounds of Israeli airstrikes could be heard in the capital.
"I stayed at the embassy building in Tehran for one night. The Israeli attacks were quite terrifying. They stopped briefly, then started again. But I didn't see any missiles hit the ground. They were intercepted by Iran's Iron Dome," he told reporters at Soekarno-Hatta Airport's Terminal 3.
He said that many Tehran residents fled the city, fearing further attacks, although the Qom area, where he lived, was unaffected. Ali learned of the evacuation through a chat group for Indonesians in Tehran and received the notice before the conflict escalated. Following embassy instructions, he traveled from Qom to Tehran and stayed one night before departing.
The evacuation proceeded by land to the Iran-Azerbaijan border and then to the capital, Baku, before continuing by air to Indonesia. Ali said the border crossing was slow as many foreign nationals were also fleeing, though there were no military disruptions. “We waited at the border with other foreigners. There were no military issues, and everything went smoothly," he said
After spending two days in Azerbaijan's capital, he said the group flew to Istanbul, then took a Turkish Airlines flight to Jakarta. According to Ali, the biggest challenge he faced throughout the ordeal was being cut off from access to information and communication in Iran. "The internet was cut off. I couldn't get phone reception or signals. I could only contact my family after reaching Baku," he said.
Some 100 Indonesian Students Still in Iran
Ali said that around 100 Indonesian students in Qom City did not participate in the first phase of evacuation. He added that some of them will likely participate in the next evacuation phase.
"There is a plan for a second wave of evacuations. I don't know yet if they will participate, but hopefully they can all return home safely," he said.
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