<p>Bengaluru: Amidst the ongoing US and Israel-coordinated military assault on Iran, Iranians living in Bengaluru struggle to reach out to their families back home. </p>.<p>Tima, who is currently pursuing her Master’s in Psychology, hasn’t been able to contact her parents and sister residing in Babol, northern Iran, for the past two days.</p>.<p>“There’s a complete internet blackout there. They don’t have any cell reception. I’ve been anxious for the past two days as I haven’t been able to speak to either my parents or my extended family. But I’m keeping calm because this isn’t a new situation for us; we’ve witnessed several such blackouts under the current regime,” she shared. Her family had been trying to visit India for the past two months, but remained unsuccessful. </p>.West Asia airspace closure hits patients seeking treatment in Bengaluru hospitals.<p>A restaurant owner who was set to visit his family in Tehran in the first week of February was forced to postpone his trip due to flight cancellations. “It was my mother’s first death anniversary, but the regime had cancelled flights,” he said. With family in Tehran, Shiraz, Bandar Abbas, Arak, Kermanshah, Mamasani, Ahvaz and Isfahan, his contact with them has been sporadic in nature.</p>.<p>“I’m able to connect with some people at times. International calls are limited due to tapping. Some have satellite phones and Starlink facilities secretly,” he said, adding that he only trusted his family and friends back home for authentic news. </p>.<p>“Different media channels are reposting different things. It has become difficult to decipher what is real and what’s propaganda,” said Reza, a medical student, who will be moving to Iran later this year. </p>.<p>Most Iranians in the city remained wary of speaking up about the current situation. “At some point, we need to return to Iran, and we are aware of the fact that our phones will be tapped for a background check. We want to protect ourselves from that trouble and more importantly, we want to make sure our actions don’t impact our families,” he added. </p>.<p>While the community remains divided about the US intervention, with some mourning the death of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and fearing the impact of US involvement, others celebrated it in hopes of a more ‘liberal’ Iran. Overall, Iranians in the city hoped for a democratic Iran, moving away from the previous Shah and Islamic regimes. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: Amidst the ongoing US and Israel-coordinated military assault on Iran, Iranians living in Bengaluru struggle to reach out to their families back home. </p>.<p>Tima, who is currently pursuing her Master’s in Psychology, hasn’t been able to contact her parents and sister residing in Babol, northern Iran, for the past two days.</p>.<p>“There’s a complete internet blackout there. They don’t have any cell reception. I’ve been anxious for the past two days as I haven’t been able to speak to either my parents or my extended family. But I’m keeping calm because this isn’t a new situation for us; we’ve witnessed several such blackouts under the current regime,” she shared. Her family had been trying to visit India for the past two months, but remained unsuccessful. </p>.West Asia airspace closure hits patients seeking treatment in Bengaluru hospitals.<p>A restaurant owner who was set to visit his family in Tehran in the first week of February was forced to postpone his trip due to flight cancellations. “It was my mother’s first death anniversary, but the regime had cancelled flights,” he said. With family in Tehran, Shiraz, Bandar Abbas, Arak, Kermanshah, Mamasani, Ahvaz and Isfahan, his contact with them has been sporadic in nature.</p>.<p>“I’m able to connect with some people at times. International calls are limited due to tapping. Some have satellite phones and Starlink facilities secretly,” he said, adding that he only trusted his family and friends back home for authentic news. </p>.<p>“Different media channels are reposting different things. It has become difficult to decipher what is real and what’s propaganda,” said Reza, a medical student, who will be moving to Iran later this year. </p>.<p>Most Iranians in the city remained wary of speaking up about the current situation. “At some point, we need to return to Iran, and we are aware of the fact that our phones will be tapped for a background check. We want to protect ourselves from that trouble and more importantly, we want to make sure our actions don’t impact our families,” he added. </p>.<p>While the community remains divided about the US intervention, with some mourning the death of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and fearing the impact of US involvement, others celebrated it in hopes of a more ‘liberal’ Iran. Overall, Iranians in the city hoped for a democratic Iran, moving away from the previous Shah and Islamic regimes. </p>