On Monday, July 27, Nazanin is due to go into labour to welcome her second child.
It was supposed to be a beautiful moment shared with her family, especially with her parents by her side. Instead, the escalating conflict in the Middle East has shattered her plans and left her heartbroken.
The 38-year-old is one of many Iranians living in Canberra who have been directly affected by the ongoing conflict and the Australian government's temporary travel restrictions for Iranian passport holders outside the country.
"I planned for this beautiful moment in my life but I've been left alone here. I really wished my mum was here," a teary-eyed Nazanin said, now in the final days of her third trimester.
Hailing from the northern Iranian city of Rasht along the Caspian Sea, she arrived in Canberra in 2024 with her academic husband and their daughter.
Nazanin, who works in retail, said she was well aware of the three-month maternity break she would be granted.
On March 26, the Department of Home Affairs announced an Arrival Control Determination, bringing into effect temporary travel restrictions for people outside Australia who hold a Visitor visa linked to an Iranian passport. The restrictions are set to remain in place for six months.
"I was thinking my parents would be here so I could return to work after the baby is born and my leave period is complete," said Nazanin, who is hoping to apply for a Visitor visa for her parents once the travel restrictions end in September.
With only days to go until her due date, Nazanin is enduring sleepless nights. She constantly checks her mobile phone for news on the conflict back home and the safety of her loved ones.
"Sometimes the phone won't connect and I can't reach my parents," she said, recalling heart-racing moments when the signal goes blank.
"This is the time I emotionally need my parents. I'm really hoping they can be here by November."
However, following the failure of the latest round of peace talks between the US and Iran and with the conflict raging again, it remains unclear whether the Australian government will lift the restrictions or extend them.
While some Iranians in the capital are unable to reunite with their families, others face the hard reality of being unable to travel home from Canberra to visit loved ones.
"Hours before flying to Iran, the 12-day war with Israel began in June last year and we were forced to cancel our trip. We don't know when we can go next," said an Evatt resident, who did not want to be identified.
It was to be the Canberra family's long-awaited trip back to their ancestral home in Isfahan, central Iran.
