Kerala Duo Flee Missile Barrage in Tehran, Seek Urgent Evacuation from War-Hit Iran

Thiruvananthapuram, June 18, 2025: Two Kerala natives narrowly escaped a missile barrage in Tehran on Sunday after Israeli airstrikes hit the city. They are now staying with the family of a local friend in Yazd, a city about 600 kilometres away. The men, Hafsal and Muhammed, hail from Kerala’s Malappuram district and work as business development officers in Dubai. They had travelled to the Iranian capital for a business trip on Friday—the day hostilities erupted between Israel and Iran. They are currently seeking urgent assistance from the Indian embassy to cross the border into a safer country.

The two men fled Tehran on Monday amid a series of missile strikes on the city. During their 10-hour drive to Yazd, they said they narrowly escaped a deadly barrage of missiles.

The conflict escalated after Israel bombed multiple sites in Iran on Friday, reportedly killing key military leaders and scientists. In retaliation, Iran fired missiles into Israel, triggering a wave of cross-border attacks over the past five days that have claimed hundreds of lives in Iran and at least 24 in Israel.

Hafsal and Muhammed were scheduled to return to Dubai on Sunday, but their plans were disrupted as the situation in Tehran rapidly deteriorated. 

“From our hotel room, we watched in shock as missiles fell in the vicinity,” Hafsal said in a text message to The Indian Express. “We eventually sought shelter in a nearby underground metro station, along with dozens of panicked residents.”

Although Indian embassy officials advised them to remain in Tehran, the men decided to flee the city, fearing for their lives. They joined a local Iranian friend and his family on a road escape early Monday morning. The 10-hour journey to Yazd—a historic city thought to be relatively safe—was fraught with danger. “We saw missiles crisscrossing the sky during our drive. We felt death was stalking us,” Hafsal recalled.

Now in Yazd, the duo is staying with the family of the same local Iranian friend who helped them escape Tehran.

"Our local friend’s family told us that this city will be safe, but things are turning grim here also,” Hafsal said. He has requested the Indian embassy in Tehran for assistance to enable him and Muhammad to cross the Iranian border into Armenia or Turkey. 

Officials of Kerala’s expatriate welfare department, NORKA ROOTS, are in contact with the men. However, only the Indian embassy can facilitate their safe and legal exit from Iran.

Source: The Indian Express