SEPANG: The evacuation of 17 Malaysians from conflict-hit Iran saw the group endure a gruelling journey of more than 1,000km across Iran to reach the Turkmenistan border.

Malaysia’s Ambassador to Iran, Khairi Omar (pic), described the evacuation as “challenging but successful” amid mounting security concerns in the region.

“Thanks to the close cooperation of the Turkmenistan government, we were allowed entry and proceeded directly to Ashgabat Airport for a connecting flight,” he said.

The evacuees then transited in Bangkok, Thailand, before arriving in Malaysia on Sunday.

They were part of a larger group of 24 individuals that included six Iranians with close family ties to Malaysians and one Singaporean.

They touched down at the KL International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 1 at 11.03pm via Malaysia Airlines flight MH781 from Bangkok.

Foreign Ministry deputy secretary-general (Bilateral Affairs) Datuk Ahmad Rozian Abd Ghani was present at the arrival hall to welcome them.

Explaining further, Khairi said the evacuees took a route, moving eastward out of Teheran by road.

“It was a long trip – over 24 hours on the road – and we even had to spend a night at the border,” Khairi told reporters at KLIA.

He said the Malaysian Embassy was in contact with authorities in both Iran and neighbouring countries to coordinate a safe passage as attacks intensified in the western part of Iran.

“The attacks were sudden and severe. Within a day or two, we started seeing a pattern where clashes were more intense at night and calmer during the day.

“But we have to be very careful. Wrong place, wrong time, and you could end up in a very dangerous situation,” Khairi said.

The ambassador also confirmed that around 12 Malaysians are still in Iran.

Most of them are students or individuals married to Iranians.

He said communication remains a major hurdle.

With roaming services down and the WhatsApp application largely blocked, the embassy has had to rely on the traditional SMS network, which is only active between local Iranian numbers.

“We can’t make calls from Malaysia to Iran, but thankfully, outgoing calls from Iran are still possible,” Khairi said.

Khairi reassured the public that all remaining Malaysians are safe and accounted for.

“We are doing our utmost to maintain communication as effectively as possible,” he said.