Iranian Arash Alaeinia, who lives in Rotorua, shared his reaction to the ongoing Middle East conflict. Photo / Supplied
Iranian Arash Alaeinia, who lives in Rotorua, shared his reaction to the ongoing Middle East conflict. Photo / Supplied
The escalating United States–Israel war on Iran has stirred deep anxiety among Iranian New Zealanders, with one Rotorua man fearing for family sheltering under intensifying missile attacks across the Middle East.
Arash Alaeinia told NZMEthe current conflict was reviving wartime trauma across generations.
Pressure also fell on other members of their family, of Jewish faith, still in Iran, who then had to escape.
“If you don’t pay, then there are dire consequences,” Alaeinia said.
Iranian Arash Alaeinia. Photo / Supplied
Alaeinia eventually found his way to New Zealand, where he met his now ex-wife in Rotorua.
The couple married, moved back to the UK to raise their children, and returned to Rotorua in late 2009.
“I really love Rotorua and everything that it has,” Alaeinia said.
He now works as the chief executive of New Zealand Fish and Game, Eastern Region.
Alaeinia found support among his Iranian friends from Rotorua and Auckland.
The wider community had also supported him, with friends and colleagues checking in to ask how he and his family are doing.
He said his reaction to the conflict dated back to mid-January, when the Iranian people were protesting against living standards and government oppression.
There was a media blackout, and thousands of people were killed directly by the government, he said.
“They’re not heading onto the streets to protest, and they’re not heading onto the streets to celebrate. It’s a matter of survival.”
Tehran has been hit by US and Israeli airstrikes. Photo / Getty Images
Alaeinia said the US and Israel attack was against the regime, not the Iranian people.
But “it’s the innocent who suffer”.
More than 3000 New Zealanders are registered as being in the Middle East, including 1893 in the UAE, 411 in Qatar and 401 in Saudi Arabia.
Twenty-eight New Zealanders were registered in Iran, and 78 in Israel.
The New Zealand Government would send further consular surge teams to the Middle East and pre-deploy two Defence Force planes for civilian evacuations “when conditions allow”, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on Thursday.
Australia announced it would also send military assets to help with evacuations.
The UK had sent fighter jets to Qatar and helicopters with anti-drone capabilities to Cyprus.
Commercial flights were becoming available for those seeking to leave the Middle East, where SafeTravel alerts remained in place.
Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and the Occupied Palestinian Territories were all listed at Level 4 (Extreme risk to safety, security, or life) on SafeTravel’s travel alert list.
Jordan, Oman, and Saudi Arabia were at Level 3 – avoid non‑essential travel.
On Wednesday, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson confirmed it had activated a co-ordination centre in response to the developing situation in the Middle East.
New Zealanders requiring urgent consular assistance should call the New Zealand 24/7 Consular Emergency Line on +64 99 20 20 20.
Bijou Johnson is a multimedia journalist based in the Bay of Plenty. A passionate writer and reader, she grew up in Tauranga and developed a love for journalism while exploring various disciplines at university. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies from Massey University.
