NZ Citizens Trapped in Iran Amid Escalating Crisis: 18 June, 2025

Last friday, Israel launched a series of missile strikes on Iranian soil, aimed at destroying Iran’s nuclear research facilities and assassinating their top generals and scientists.

In response Iran fired a series of their own missile strikes into Israeli territory, striking areas like Tel Aviv and the Israeli port city of Haifa.

Both countries have attacked civilian areas in this round of fighting, with Israel strikes into Iran hitting Iran’s state broadcaster in Tehran as well as the Farabi Hospital in Kermanshah, killing at least 200 people, with Iran’s strikes targeting a number of residential areas in urban Israel similarly.

Oto spoke to an Iranian New Zealander who is currently in Iran, going under the alias of ‘Maryam’ for her safety and security, who talked us about her experiences trying to flee Iran and contacting the New Zealand for assistance.