Emotional turmoil grips Iranians watching conflict unfold overseas

News | Israel-Iran conflict Emotional turmoil grips Iranians watching conflict unfold overseas As conflict engulfs Iran, the country’s diaspora feels anguish, reflecting on memories of home and uncertainty about the future. Listen to this article | 7 mins By Simon Speakman Cordall Published On 5 Mar 2026 5 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media Share Save Add Al Jazeera on Google Maryam’s life stopped last Saturday. Since then, every minute of every day has been divided between getting updates from her family in Iran when they can communicate with her, and the hours between, when she’s left guessing what their fate might be. Maryam, who asked that we not use her real name for security reasons, is not alone. The Iranian diaspora is one of the largest in the world, including those who fled persecution under the former shah pre-1979, those who fled oppression under the Islamic Republic, and those who simply sought financial stability or careers overseas. Now, like Maryam, they live for snatches of information about the welfare of their relatives in the midst of a war that threatens to engulf the region. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 EU leaders express solidarity with Gulf countries amid Iranian attacks list 2 of 3 Iran women’s football team salute, sing national anthem in Asian Cup match list 3 of 3 Which Kurdish groups is the US rallying to fight Iran? end of list “What is happening now is my worst fear,” Maryam, 33, says from Madrid. She was last in Tehran in January, but returned to the Spanish capital, where she works, following the wave of mass protests that month, when thousands were killed. “This is what I search for at 3am when I can’t sleep: ‘US Iran,’” she says of her Google search, “just to check.” “Every piece of that land is like a cell in my body. My dad is from the south, my mother [is from] the north, so every inch of that land is me. I feel like everywhere is my home. An aggression against that land is an aggression against me. ...