A Melbourne Mother's Anxiety Amid Turmoil in Iran

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Nayran Tabiei says this past week has been one of the worst of her life — and for someone who’s already endured war, separation and heartbreak, that speaks volumes.

A mother of four, who runs a busy catering business in Melbourne, Tabiei has spent recent days gripped by a single paralysing fear that her three sons in Tehran may not be alive.

As bombs pounded in and around the Iranian capital, she had no way of knowing if they had survived the chaos.

“The mobiles and internet were cut, so I had no news. And then my heart started to beat. I didn’t sleep at all for one week,” she said.

“I tried every night, every day, to message. If you see my mobile, there are maybe 100 messages there. But no answer, no answer.”

A woman in a pink jumper and grey apron stands preparing food in a commercial kitchen.

Nayran Tabiei runs a catering business in Melbourne. Source: SBS / Scott Cardwell

A family’s journey of separation and survival

Tabiei fled conflict in her homeland, Syria, in 2012 with her husband, Majid and five-year-old daughter making the agonising decision to leave her three sons behind with their grandmother in Tehran.

The family initially sought refuge in Lebanon, then moved to Southeast Asia before taking the “life-changing decision” to risk the long and perilous journey to Australia by sea.

“When the boat capsized, we almost died. I held my daughter to my chest for five days and nights until we arrived at Christmas Island,” she said.

Tabiei recalled her sons were kids at the time. She thought the separation would be temporary. But 14 years later, her sons are now aged 28, 26 and 22. She still hasn’t seen them in person.

The only connection is via video calls — until last week, when even that lifeline was severed.

“As a mum, I made a bad decision and I feel so sad about it,” she said. “Now I cannot believe so many years have passed.

“They have grown up without me being beside them.”

A woman in a pink jumper and grey apron sits looking at a mobile phone that shows images of two young boys.

Nayran Tabiei left her three young boys in the care of their grandmother in Tehran in 2012. Source: SBS / Scott Cardwell

On 13 June, Israel attacked nuclear and military sites in Iran, claiming Iran was close to building a nuclear weapon, something Iran denies.

In response, both Iran and Israel traded missile strikes, escalating tensions rapidly across the region.

The United States later joined the conflict, dropping its so-called bunker buster bombs on the Iranian nuclear sites.

Although a ceasefire has since been reached between the two countries, the situation remains fragile.

Amid the unrest, many families like Tabiei’s faced an agonising silence. With no way of contacting her children in Tehran, the pain of separation grew heavier by the day.

“I was boiling from inside because there was nothing I could do. But I want to help, to do something,” she said.

Then, just days ago, the call she had been praying for finally came. Her sons had survived.

“I’ll have a good night’s sleep now because my boys called me. My heart is beating so fast, it is so good,” she said.

“They are staying in the mountains, in a room with their friends. I am so relieved. Thank God because I cannot imagine if they were not alive! Thank God.”

Over the years, Tabiei has built a life of quiet strength in Melbourne.

She trained in community service and childcare and eventually started her own small café, Flavours of Syria, in the beachside suburb of St Kilda.

She also devoted a significant amount of time to volunteering for displaced migrants and asylum seekers.

“I [have] trained hundreds and hundreds of asylum seekers. Many started a new business and could then stand on their own two feet,” she said.

The colourful interior of a small cafe with tables and chairs.

Nayran Tabiei closed the doors of her St Kilda cafe after operating it for six years. Source: SBS / Sandra Fulloon

But the pain of being separated from her sons has never left her. For more than a decade, she has fought tirelessly to bring them to safety in Australia, but each attempt has ended in heartbreak.

“I hired lawyers and sent so many emails, but still I cannot reach Prime Minister [Anthony] Albanese, to tell him ‘I’m a human being and a mum and I need help from the government’. I don’t have any chance, my boys are there and I’m staying here,” she said.

Small businesses struggle to survive

As if that weren’t enough, the weight of rising costs forced her to shut down her café last month.

“It is too hard to earn enough to pay the rent,” she said.

“Before, we had plenty of staff in the kitchen, but now I cannot afford to hire staff and buy food and pay the bills.”

Tabiei is not alone. Recent data from credit reporting agency CreditorWatch shows 10 per cent of all Australian hospitality businesses have shut down over the past year.

CreditorWatch CEO Patrick Coghlan said: “Small businesses are being hit from all sides.”

CreditorWatch CEO Patrick Coghlan said hospitality businesses are being hit from all sides. Source: Supplied / CreditorWatch

“Obviously, consumer discretionary spending is down, yet the cost of labour and goods is increasing. So really it is a very challenging time,” Coghlan said.

Luke Achterstraat, CEO of Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA), said the changes to award rates, set to take effect next week, will add to the growing pressures on small businesses.

“As of 1 July, the award rate goes up 3.5 per cent. The super guarantee increases by 0.5 per cent. So that’s 4 per cent already on the wage stack. And on top of that, you have payroll tax,” he said.

COSBOA is calling for more support to help small businesses survive.

“It is the toughest operating environment in recent memory for small businesses,” Achterstraat said.

Plates of Middle Eastern food sit on a wooden table.

Luke Achterstraat, CEO of Council of Small Business Organisations Australia, said urgent policy changes are required to help small businesses stay afloat amid mounting challenges. Source: SBS / Scott Cardwell

“And it is a wake-up call to policymakers to put in place policies that back our small businesses,” he added.

“For a small business with revenue of up to $20 million a year, we are calling for the corporate tax rate to be slashed from 25 per cent to 20 per cent.”

Inflation is easing, finally. The overall monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) indicator rose 2.1 per cent in the 12 months to May 2025, slowing from a 2.4 per cent rise in the year to April.

This was the lowest figure since October last year, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Coghlan said it brings fresh hope of further interest rate relief for Australia’s 2.5 million small business owners.

“The Reserve Bank has cut rates already, and that is the biggest driver of economic activity and spending both in the consumer and commercial sectors,” he said.

“And we expect a couple more rate cuts this year, as well. So, the trend is certainly heading in the right direction.”

A woman in a pink jumper sits at a table with a serious expression.

Nayran Tabiei is focussed on her catering business after her café was forced to shut down. Source: SBS / Scott Cardwell

While a potential rate cut could bring relief to some small business owners, it’s already too late for Tabiei, who was forced to close down her cafe.

She is now concentrating on catering, which has lower running costs and helps keep her occupied, easing the emotional weight of being separated from her children.

“Really, I make all my food with my heart. And when you taste it, you will notice the love in it,” she said.

“For me, it is all about sharing my culture with love.”

This story was produced in collaboration with SBS Arabic.