‘I thought I would die there’: Habiganj worker recounts 20 days under missile fire in Iran

For 20 days, Babul Mia lived under the constant threat of missile strikes near Tehran, cut off from his family in Bangladesh and unsure if he would survive.

The migrant worker from Paniumda village in Nabiganj upazila of Habiganj said he spent nearly three weeks in fear as explosions shook the area around his workplace in Hasanabad, where he worked at a steel factory.

“Planes flew like flocks of birds. Missiles came again and again,” Babul told this correspondent, describing nights without sleep and days marked by uncertainty.

At one point, he decided to leave the factory and attempt to reach the Bangladesh embassy, despite ongoing missile strikes.

“I thought it was better to try than die waiting,” he said.

Babul returned Bangladesh on March 21 via Azerbaijan with assistance from the Bangladesh mission.

He left for Oman in July 2019 but later entered Iran without valid documents and found work at a factory near Tehran. Around 80 Bangladeshi workers lived in cramped quarters, with eight to nine men sharing a single room.

He said the situation escalated on February 28 this year when a loud explosion jolted workers awake around dawn.

“After dinner on February 28, we went to bed as usual. At around 5:00am, a loud explosion shook the entire building.”

“We ran out of our rooms. At first, I thought it was a drill. Then I saw missiles through the window. I thought I would die there,” he said.

By morning, rumours of conflict had spread, but access to information was limited due to internet shutdowns. Communication with families was also disrupted.

“A school near our area was hit. Children were killed,” he said, adding that a bomb also landed close to their factory.

“We had no instructions from authorities.”

As the days passed, fear became routine. Banks were closed, and the cost of essentials surged.

“I had no money. Sometimes, I didn’t even have enough to eat,” Babul said. Despite the risks, workers continued their jobs.

Back home, his family followed the situation through television, growing increasingly anxious.

Taslima Akter Maysa, his 12-year-old daughter, said they were terrified as news of the conflict unfolded.

“I used to feel very scared watching the war on TV. At the same time, my father didn’t call us,” she said. “Seeing all this, my mother would cry all the time. When I stayed with her, she would just wipe her tears. Seeing her like that made me want to cry too.”

She said they were relieved when he finally managed to contact them.

“One day, suddenly, my father called and said he was safe. He also said he would come home during Eid. Hearing this, I was overwhelmed with joy,” she added.

Hope emerged when he learned the Bangladesh embassy had temporarily relocated from Tehran to Saveh and was arranging evacuation for nationals, including undocumented workers.

“I applied immediately,” he said.

On March 5, when internet services briefly resumed, he managed to contact his family after several days.

“They cried and asked me to come back. They didn’t know I had no money even for food,” he said.

Violence intensified in mid March. On March 18, a missile strike destroyed a nearby police outpost.

“By morning, it was nothing but dust and smoke. I cried the whole night,” he said.

The same day, he received a travel pass from the Bangladesh mission.

Within hours, he and other Bangladeshis travelled to Saveh before boarding a convoy of nine buses to the Astara border in Azerbaijan. They reached around 2:00am in cold conditions on March 19.

“There were no blankets. Some stayed in a rest room, others outside. No one slept,” he said.

After completing border formalities, they were received by Bangladeshi officials and taken to Azerbaijan's Baku airport. A special flight brought them home later that day.

“When I finally stepped on Bangladeshi soil, I felt like I got my life back,” Babul said.

Babul said he is the sole earning member of his six-member family and has exhausted his savings during the crisis.

“I had some savings, but almost all of it was used up during the war. The remaining money is also gone,” he said.

He is now working in agriculture to support his family.

He also said officials collected his contact details and documents upon his return, assuring assistance.

“They said they would provide support, but I haven’t received any response so far. It would be a great help if I received assistance,” he added.

He claimed that around 186 Bangladeshi nationals travelled with him during the evacuation.

While Babul described repeated missile strikes and civilian casualties, independent verification of specific incidents was not immediately available. Authorities have also not detailed the scale of Bangladeshi nationals affected in the area or the total number evacuated.