Young Iranians in Hong Kong are enduring anxious days and sleepless nights, waiting helplessly for news from loved ones amid a flood of contradictory reports on the Middle East conflict. Biomedical researcher Behzad Nasiri Ahmadabadi and student Ali* describe their powerlessness over events thousands of kilometres away.
Life for Hong Kong-based Iranian biomedical researcher Behzad Nasiri Ahmadabadi is filled with anxiety as he spends each day waiting for a call from his family that may not come amid the Middle East conflict.
Iranian student Ali, who asked that his real name not be used, scrolls through news reports from across the world to piece together events and lies awake at night pondering their meaning. “There’s a lot of contradictory reporting that you’re seeing everywhere,” he said. “It’s very difficult to actually understand what’s going on … and without that [clarity], it’s hard to think about how we can move forward.”
Young Iranians in Hong Kong deal with the conflict by constantly analysing news, correcting misinformation, or simply waiting for messages confirming their loved ones in Iran are safe. They share a common feeling of powerlessness over a war raging thousands of kilometres away.
Continued strikes on Iran by the United States and Israel have triggered retaliatory attacks and raised fears of a wider regional war, with civilians facing growing risks and uncertainty. Iran-backed Houthi rebels joined the fray in late March by firing missiles at Israel from Yemen.
