Harrowing accounts from Indonesians in Iran: bombs pass over embassy, windows shake violently
Indonesian nationals in Iran recounted harrowing experiences whilst awaiting evacuation to Indonesia. One Indonesian national, Zulfan Lindan, described the moments when airstrikes passed directly above the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) building in Tehran, causing violent tremors.
“The situation was terrifying when we were at KBRI Tehran, ten bombs passed directly above KBRI,” Zulfan said at Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Tangerang, Banten, on Tuesday (10 March 2026).
Zulfan revealed that the bombs fell in a relatively close radius to the embassy location. The explosions, occurring only 1 to 2 kilometres away, created an extremely tense atmosphere.
“The distance was 1 to 2 kilometres from those bombs—it was extraordinary, so the windows in the embassy building shook,” he said.
As a result of the violent tremors, the Indonesian nationals gathered inside the embassy were temporarily instructed to prepare for emergency shelter. The initial plan was to evacuate them to the basement.
“We were heading to the basement actually, but the ambassador said for now we shouldn’t go yet,” Zulfan added.
After the situation appeared manageable, the group was sent out from the Iranian capital at dawn. They travelled overland for nine hours to reach the Azerbaijan border.
“We departed at dawn and arrived at the Iran-Azerbaijan border after about 9 hours. We waited for 5 hours at the border immigration,” he explained.
The situation in Iran: Mass demonstrations
Another Indonesian national, Jawad, described the situation in Iran shortly before his evacuation. He said he was shocked upon hearing explosions everywhere.
“For us hearing (explosions) for the first time, we were indeed shocked. We didn’t see it directly, only heard it. It was quite severe because we had never experienced it before,” Jawad said.
Nevertheless, he noted that Iranians are accustomed to such incidents. Residents of Tehran and surrounding areas even took to the streets to participate in “tajammu’”, a form of mass gathering amid the ongoing strikes.
“For the people of Tehran it’s probably become routine, because America and Israel attack the Iranian capital repeatedly,” he said.
“So they gather at several points chanting their slogans, expressing their courage, declaring their fearlessness against American-Israeli attacks, proclaiming their love for their leader,” he explained.
Jawad further stated that he himself participated in such demonstrations. According to him, the gatherings were intended as an expression of support for Iran amid the ongoing conflict.
“Whenever there’s a tajammu’, we try our best to participate. Because we represent the Indonesian people who may not be able to attend but wish to be in such a situation, we always go out to the streets to voice our support for this war,” he said.