'We're caught up in a war while on holiday'

"Overwhelming, terrifying, a nightmare". These are some of the words used by Iranians living in Yorkshire and tourists in the Middle East to describe the current situation in Iran.

On Saturday Israel and the US launched an attack against Iran's leadership and military, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iran responded with attacks on Israel, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Cyprus.

Bita, an Iranian woman who has lived in Sheffield for 25 years, has family in Iran and has "mixed feelings about the conflict".

She said: "We were desperate for foreign intervention, with lots of Iranians, including myself, celebrating the death of the Supreme Leader, but others mourning his death."

Bita, 48, added: "News of war is obviously terrifying, it's tragic. She considers Sheffield and the UK as her home, and said she cannot see how the situation is going to end.

"We have been hearing reports that lots of the top leaders have been killed, but there are still other people who can replace them, so that's why people are wondering what's gonna happen.

"Iranian people don't want the Islamic Republic regime and I think that's very important for people to know and understand that."

Looking towards a potential resolution Bita said she liked to think there was "hope".

"Hope that after 25 years I will be able to travel back without worrying I will be stopped and questioned as a spy."

Since US attacks on Saturday several allied countries in the Middle East have come under attack from Iran, including Dubai which has been hit by missiles and drones.

Lamiya Rahman is from Dubai where some of her family still live.

Currently a student at Leeds Trinity University, she said she had "never been so scared of losing family".

She said: "The fact that I, along with a bunch of other students who have family in the area, now have to sit somewhere completely far away and worry about if their family is going to make it through the night. It's quite scary."

Lamiya said the last few days had seen a stark contrast.

"It's really just so crazy how one second we're living this life where we feel like we're in a mini-paradise, it's so safe, it's a safe haven for people and truly the only difference between us and potential refugees is geographical luck."

She said her family who were spread across Dubai "could hear drones".

"It's a bit shocking to imagine back home being like that considering nothing like this has ever happened before".

Lamiya said she was included in messages from the United Arab Emirates government to her family, "telling everyone to stay inside or saying it is now safer and the government has it under control".

"So everyone is putting their trust in that, but tensions are quite high. Right now everyone is just focusing on trying to stay alive, safe and calm," she said.

Luxury hotels and Dubai's main airport - one of the busiest in the world by passenger traffic - have also been damaged.

Yorkshire people on holiday there described situation as "nightmarish".

Ross Marsh, from Barnsley, is stuck in the city with his wife, after travelling to the United Arab Emirates to celebrate their10th wedding anniversary.

He said: "We did a few excursions and then Saturday daytime we noticed something weren't right, because there were no planes flying.

"And then Saturday night we were sat in the bar, just having a drink and then everybody's phones kept going off with the WhatsApp sirens. That's when it hit home and people started panicking.

"And then yesterday morning, we got woke up with noises outside, explosions going on, a massive noise above us, then five minutes later, I look down and everybody's looking down the road and there was a building that's been hit and on fire."

Ross said the whole situation was "confusing".

"I'm having to rely on people back in the UK to tell me what's going off.

"When I look on the phone, we've got flights with Emirates, that's still saying flights are going ahead. I'm getting told from people from the UK that the flights have been cancelled."

As to when the couple might return to South Yorkshire, Ross said: "I phoned the holiday insurance company up this morning, gave them details, and they've told us because this is classed as a war, insurance is void.

"So we've got no insurance, we don't know when we're flying back, it's a nightmare."

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