Indonesian Student Evacuated from Tehran During War

Ahmad Hukam Mujtaba, a postgraduate student at Ahlul Bayt University, recently arrived at his accommodation in Tehran after participating in activities with other Indonesian students in Iran when Israel and the United States launched attacks on the country. The unprovoked assault occurred on Saturday, 28 February 2026.

The postgraduate student subsequently relocated to the residence of the Indonesian Embassy’s staff in Iran along with eight other Indonesian nationals. The evacuation location was situated not far from the embassy’s office in central Tehran.

Previously, Ahmad had been living in campus accommodation alongside other international students. He stated that the residence management instructed residents to vacate the premises temporarily. “On the seventh day of the war, we received instructions to evacuate the dormitory,” Ahmad said when contacted on Monday, 9 March 2026.

The escalation of conflict between Iran, Israel, and the United States also impacted the academic activities of the students. Ahmad explained that his university remained closed until the situation normalised.

Several public service facilities, including banks, private offices, and minimarkets, also temporarily closed, particularly during the mourning period following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Nevertheless, Ahmad noted that people continued their normal activities during this mourning period.

Small grocery shops remained open and streets stayed busy, even though missile sounds were clearly audible from the city centre. According to Ahmad, at least ten explosions were heard daily since the war began. “However, the people here do not seem to fear the war. I sensed euphoria from the Iranian people,” he said.

Ahmad is currently en route to Indonesia. He and fellow Indonesian nationals in Iran were evacuated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The government carried out evacuation in phases. Ahmad explained that the return journey could not be undertaken directly via flights from Iran. “The airspace from the Iranian region remains closed,” he noted. Consequently, the journey had to be undertaken by overland route first.

The group was taken to Baku, Azerbaijan, before continuing with flights to Indonesia. The overland journey from Tehran to Baku by bus took approximately 14 hours. In Baku, Ahmad and the group transited at accommodation for one day. He stated that the Indonesian government covered all evacuation costs. “We continued flying to Indonesia from Azerbaijan on 9 March. Likely by the next day we had already arrived,” Ahmad said.