The Middle East is on high alert as Iran and Israel escalate their military strikes, fueling concerns of a broader regional conflict.
Iran’s state television has reported that Israel launched a fresh wave of missile strikes on Tehran, shaking the Iranian capital with multiple explosions.
As tensions reach new heights, Israel has issued evacuation warnings, signaling the possibility of further attacks, while Iranian forces have urged residents of Tel Aviv to evacuate, escalating fears of a wider conflict.
Despite the intensifying clashes, Bangladeshis in Iran remain unharmed, even as the unprecedented exchange between the two nations sends shockwaves across the region.
In recent days, Israeli air raids have targeted nuclear and military installations across multiple Iranian cities — Tehran among them — resulting in over 220 deaths, including several nuclear scientists, and hundreds of injuries.
Iran’s retaliatory barrages of missiles have struck Israeli refueling depots, killing and wounding scores.
Amid escalating tit-for-tat strikes between Iran and Israel, Bangladesh’s foreign ministry has strongly condemned the violence, calling for diplomatic restraint.
In response to the crisis, embassy officials have activated emergency hotlines, urging Bangladeshi nationals to avoid potential target zones and have confirmed that all 66 Bangladeshi students, spread across Iran’s major university cities, remain safe, even as public anxiety continues to mount.
Sources at the foreign ministry have indicated that the government is actively planning to evacuate expatriate Bangladeshis to safer locations outside Tehran, prioritizing their security.
Despite sirens wailing across Tehran and waves of panic among residents, Consular Officer Oalid Islam reports calm on the ground for Bangladeshi nationals.
Oalid said: “The Bangladeshi ambassadors in Iran and Turkey are jointly coordinating the repatriation of Bangladeshi nationals legally residing in Iran via Turkey. Due to the distance from the border, all individuals will be temporarily accommodated in a safe house near Tehran until their visas are finalized.”
The Embassy, anticipating further upheaval, has launched a round‑the‑clock hotline to assist not only students but all Bangladeshis — some 800 legal residents, 400 medical patients stranded by the unrest, and an estimated 8,000 to 12,000 undocumented migrants.
“We are doing everything we can to maintain communications,” Md Humayun Kabir, director general of the General Services Wing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Dhaka Tribune.
“Intermittent internet blackouts in Iran make it difficult. But our focal point for West Asia is monitoring the situation minute by minute.”
Kabir stressed that families worried for loved ones can phone the embassy for real‑time updates, safety instructions, or evacuation planning, and that consular staff will coordinate with local authorities to secure safe passage home if necessary.
Coexistence of normalcy and threat
On campus, students describe a surreal coexistence of normalcy and threat.
Md Shakil Hossain, studying at KN Toosi University in Tehran, recounts the moment a nearby dormitory came under fire last Sunday.
“We were evacuated at once,” he says, “but ambulances and buses continued to run. Most strikes have come at night, and thankfully, civilians so far remain unharmed.”
He told Dhaka Tribune that Tehran’s western districts — near Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) headquarters and the air force base — were the first to see chaos, prompting many residents to flee northward toward the Caspian coast.
Five hundred kilometers away in Gorgan, Md Muttakin pursues a master’s at Al‑Mustafa International University.
“I’ve heard no explosions here,” he reports.
“Life feels normal — shops open, prayers continue, and our professors make sure we’re fed and kept informed.”
Even in more volatile Tehran, Md Naqib Hasan of Shahid Beheshti University finds quiet refuge within the secure walls of his dorm.
“Emergency services function normally and traffic flows,” he says, though he admits collective unease at how quickly the conflict might spiral beyond the cities’ limits.
Yet not every student is content to simply wait.
Marzia Ali Salsabil of Alzahra University urges immediate evacuation.
Pointing to Indian and Pakistani missions already flying their nationals out, she pleads: “Our embassy must act with the same urgency.”
The embassy’s newly established hotline — publicized across campus WhatsApp groups — aims to offer that lifeline.
Outside university gates, Radio Tehran’s Assistant News Editor Md Ameer Hossain paints a broader picture.
“Iranian leadership was caught off‑guard while engaged in talks with the US,” he observes.
“That explains the higher casualty rate here. Now, the government is scrambling to protect all civilians, including expatriates.”
Back in Dhaka, the foreign ministry remains vigilant.
“This crisis underscores the fragility of regional stability,” says Kabir.
“We value our ties with Iran but are prepared to bring home any citizens who feel endangered.”
‘We will do everything necessary’
Smoke billows over Tehran after the city was hit by Israeli airstrikes on June 13.
Israel’s surprise aerial campaign against Iran – aimed at nuclear sites, according to Israeli officials – has killed scores of Iranian scientists, commanders and civilians.
Tehran retaliated with missiles fired at cities across Israel in the days that followed.
The rapid escalation has drawn global alarm: China and others have called for an immediate cooling of tensions, and European Union leaders warned that only negotiation can prevent the crisis from spiralling out of control.
Against this backdrop, Dhaka’s foreign ministry on June 13 “unequivocally” condemned Israel’s strike on Iran as a “blatant act of hostility” violating the UN Charter.
The statement warned that the attacks “pose a serious threat to regional and global peace” and appealed to all parties to show “utmost restraint.”
It urged the United Nations and the international community to work together for a stable Middle East and reaffirmed that diplomacy and mutual respect must be the path to lasting peace.
The foreign ministry and the Tehran embassy have since been closely monitoring the situation.
For now, Dhaka is urging Bangladeshis in Iran to stay in touch with the embassy and to follow official instructions.
A foreign ministry official reminded families in Bangladesh that contingency plans are ready: “We will do everything necessary for their safety.”
