Evacuation of Bangladeshis: Where do they go next from conflict-ridden Iran?
Around 2,000 Bangladeshis are believed to be in Iran at present, with 400 of them in Tehran. Evacuating to Pakistan or Türkiye remains the best hope, but over a thousand kilometres of land sits between the evacuees and the borders
Spanning over 1.65 million square kilometres, traversing through the enormous landmass of the Islamic Republic of Iran is no small feat. But add the barrage of Israeli airstrikes and the closed airspace to the equation and travelling becomes near impossible.
For the 400 Bangladeshis currently residing in the capital Tehran, though, staying is no longer an option.
Evacuating from Iran is not a simple task. "At this moment, there is no way to leave Iran [by air]. We have given them [Bangladeshis] instructions to move to a safer place."
On Monday night, Bangladesh's Ambassador to Iran Majurul Karim Khan Chowdhury left his residence in Tehran and took shelter in a secure location.
Later on the same night, an Israeli strike turned the residence of a Bangladeshi embassy official in Tehran's Jordan area into rubble. Oalid Islam, first secretary of the Bangladesh Embassy, survived as he was not at home during the attack.
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"There is nothing left around us now," he told BBC Bangla on Tuesday (17 June). "Only a few diplomats' houses remain, but the surroundings have been devastated."
"My house is located next to the Naval Base Camp. All the houses along that line have been destroyed," he further wrote in a Facebook post.
Around 2,000 Bangladeshis, including students, professionals, tourists, and patients, are believed to be in Iran at present. Of them, about 400 are in Tehran — 40 are affiliated with the embassy.
'Nothing but first aid'
A diplomat, wishing anonymity, told The Business Standard on Wednesday (18 June) that there are 15 patients awaiting evacuation who had gone to Tehran for kidney transplants or fertility treatment. Some are not in a state to travel post-treatment.
"The dialysis patients might have a 24-hour window to reach their destination — otherwise, their lives could be at risk during the journey. They may be accompanied by two to three Bangladeshi doctors. If they face any difficulty or emergency on the road, any available MBBS doctors or on-duty medical personnel will assist them," the source said.
Protocol officers might accompany them to help clear the way and manage coordination.
But apart from basic first aid, the diplomat said, the evacuees will not be able to carry any additional medical equipment during the journey.
The Daily Star quoted one Bangladeshi national in Iran as saying that he went to Tehran for his mother's treatment, but as hospitals have closed down, her condition was deteriorating.
"My mother needs dialysis… I asked an embassy official for help. He suggested another hospital, which didn't even have a dialysis facility," he said while speaking to The Daily Star from Tehran's District-6, where he had heard explosions.
On Tuesday, Acting Foreign Secretary Ruhul Alam Siddique said at a press briefing that the Radio Tehran office came under Israeli attack where at least eight Bangladeshi journalists work in the Bangla department. They were in the office when the attack occurred, but they made it out safely.
While the Bangladesh government's first priority is to relocate them to safer areas within Iran, a complete evacuation is not out of the question.
'Between a rock and a hard place'
Getting out of Tehran by road remains a difficult task, especially considering how both the countries that Bangladeshi nationals can seek refuge in — Türkiye and Pakistan — are each more than a thousand kilometres away from the Iranian capital.
"It would be ideal if the evacuation could be carried out through Pakistan," the diplomat told TBS. But the Balochistan government has already closed border crossings in Panjgur, Gwadar and Kech.
If they take the route through Türkiye, the evacuation point is approximately 1,900 km away. And then Istanbul is around an additional 1,700 km from there.
"We're quite anxious about whether these routes will be feasible. It feels like the Bangladeshis in Iran are caught between a rock and a hard place," the diplomat said.
As of 17 June, 72 people have made it to the list of evacuees. "Once we have a complete list, we hope to begin arranging for 'honourable visas' or, where possible, official travel permits," the source added.
Regarding vehicle support, the diplomat said three have been arranged so far, which can, at best, carry up to 16 people. The plan is to hire buses.
"It is not possible to say when exactly they will be able to reach Karachi or Istanbul. We don't know for sure when we would even be able to arrange flights from there. Officials from the Turkish and Pakistan embassies are trying to offer as much help as they can," the diplomat further said.
What is the Bangladesh government's evacuation plan?
On Monday (16 June), the government set up an emergency hotline for Bangladeshi nationals living in Iran and their relatives in Bangladesh to reach out during emergencies amid the escalating conflict.
The Bangladesh Embassy in Tehran and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dhaka shared the numbers: +989908577368 and +989122065745 and +8801712012847, respectively.
Acting Foreign Secretary Ruhul noted at the press briefing that evacuating from Iran is not a simple task, stating, "Because of the sanctions, transferring money through banking channels is extremely difficult. However, we are actively exploring alternative solutions."
He further said that evacuation through land borders is also not safe.
"At this moment, there is no way to leave Iran [by air]. We have given them [Bangladeshis] instructions to move to a safer place," the foreign secretary told reporters.
Siddique said the government will bear the cost related to evacuation and housing in safer places.
But challenges in finding safehouses remain due to the ongoing conflict; places that could previously be rented for $100 are now going for 10 times more.
Oalid Islam has made a series of posts on his social media over the last few days.
One post reads, "Those who are residing legally in Iran and are willing to leave, please send a copy of your passport to oalid.islam@mofa.gov.bd within tonight. Please don't panic. Arrangements will be made for your safe departure from Iran.
"As for those residing [in Iran] illegally, if you have your passport/NID/a letter from the Security Services Division [home ministry] or from the UNO of your home upazila, please send them to oalidjob@gmail.com. I promise, we will leave Iran safely."
Another post cautioned keeping clear of the Strait of Hormuz. "If you are in Bandar Abbas, Kish, Qeshm, or Hormozgan, please move towards Lengeh, Hasina, or Minab. If the situation worsens, please contact Arif Bhai or Shah Alam Bhai. I promise that as long as I'm in Iran, I will look after you. If you reach a safe shelter and survive, we will rescue you somehow later…In Hasina and Lengeh, contact Akram Bhai. In Minab, contact Rashed Bhai."
Speaking to BBC Bangla, Oalid shared the response he received from his posts, saying people from affected areas are contacting officials, pleading to be relocated to a safe place.
"Many people are calling and crying. They're saying, 'Brother, the situation here is not good, please save us..These cries for help are truly unbearable."
Diplomatic assistance necessary for safe evacuation
Speaking to TBS on Wednesday, former US diplomat Jon F Danilowicz noted that the best approach for evacuating the Bangladeshi nationals from Iran would be to coordinate with other countries who are also seeking to evacuate their citizens.
"In some cases, employers may also have some responsibility for evacuating their employees. And no doubt some individuals would probably choose to stay back," he added.
Only the Pakistan Embassy has been able to evacuate its citizens from Iran so far, Geo TV reported citing a senior official at the Foreign Office.
Nearly 714 Pakistani nationals, including students, traders, and drivers, have returned via the Taftan border in Chagai district.
The diplomat said the evacuation team is taking help from Pakistan's experience by communicating with them as to where they got their vehicles from or which areas they used to get out. "Most of those Pakistanis crossed via the land border. The idea they have [about evacuation], we surely won't. The Pakistan Embassy there has agreed to help us.
"We have discussed with Türkiye where we can stay, how to arrange for food, where there is danger or not," the source added.
But it is still unclear how much assistance the Pakistani government can provide.
"We are in touch with Bangladeshis in Iran. Over the last three days, Bangladesh Embassy officials have reached out to all the communities to compile a list," the diplomat further said.
