Conflict in the Middle East is thousands of kilometres away from the desks of Saina Salemi and her colleague Oscar, but the pair constantly discuss blasts and evacuation warnings.
Ms Salemi hasn’t spoken to her family in Iran for more than three days due to a nation-wide internet blackout, while Oscar – who asked that his surname not be used – has no idea when he’ll next see his parents who are trapped in Israel.
“My helplessness would have been made worse had someone like Oscar not been here. There’s only so many people in your life that can truly understand a situation like this,” Ms Salemi told AAP.
Israel and Iran have been trading strikes since the Israeli military began its attack a week ago in a bid to wipe out Iran’s nuclear program, but geopolitical tensions are not dividing the two friends from Melbourne.
“Despite what these countries are putting each other through, the fact that it hasn’t got between us even for a millisecond, I feel very touched,” Oscar said.
The pair are consumed by worry for their families and appalled by the scale of human suffering in countries they remember fondly from holidays.
“I said to Ocar, I feel like I’m going crazy, because everybody around me is moving so normally and is going about their day-to-day lives, and I’m just watching a 24/7 live blog all the time,” Ms Salemi said.
“The Iranian diaspora, we are really tired of people being used as collateral damage.”
She’s angry her family in Tehran have no bomb shelter to go to and worried about what could happen to her elderly grandparents after Donald Trump warned some 10 million people in Iran’s capital to evacuate.
The president said he will make a decision about whether the US joins the conflict within two weeks, demanding Iran’s unconditional surrender.
However, Iran has warned of “all-out war” if the US joins the conflict.
“I texted my cousin last night telling him I loved him and there’s a great numbness that comes with feeling like you’re saying ‘I love you’ to someone for the last time,” Ms Salemi said.
“I’m yet to hear back from that text message.”
More than 2000 Australians have registered for assistance to leave Iran and more than 1200 have registered to leave Israel, with Australian military personnel and aircraft being deployed to help.
Oscar’s parents have barely left their bomb shelter since the conflict flared and he doesn’t know how they’ll come home, after receiving a warning they may not be safe at Jordan’s land border crossing.
“I really feel for my parents, I feel for everyone in Tehran, in Gaza, in Tel Aviv,” Oscar said.
“None of them deserve it, it’s exhausting.”
He’s grateful to have grown up in Australia where he and Ms Salemi can lean on each other for support.
“I do think that there’s something really special about this country where you can have this kind of friendship,” he said.
“I hope most Australians don’t have to understand what it’s like having family in these kinds of circumstances.”
Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 639 people and wounded more than 1300 others, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group.
Israel says Iran’s retaliatory strikes killed at least 24 people and wounded hundreds.
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