Last Saturday, when the missile rain began to draw that fierce calligraphy in the sky of Tehran, not only did it alter the geopolitical balance in the Middle East, but it also affected the lives of thousands of citizens trapped hundreds of kilometers away from home. Since then, Spaniards scattered across the eastern Mediterranean began to denounce the lack of response from the embassies. Marina, Elena, Albert, and Ana were some of the individuals left in institutional abandonment. As hours passed, the uncomfortable comparison of the management of other European governments in contrast to the apparent Spanish inaction also became evident. "We just received a message saying that there would be a couple of seats available to fly on the plane chartered by the Italian Government," Berta told EL MUNDO a few minutes ago, "the ticket would cost around 271 rials (607.44 euros) to be paid by card." She is one of the 150 Spaniards stranded in Oman, a group that is increasingly joined by more Spaniards, some arriving from Dubai by land after bypassing numerous roadblocks.
Berta and her boyfriend had left Colombo (Sri Lanka) on Saturday with no news about the attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran. Their final destination was Madrid, with a previous stop in Doha (Qatar), but just 20 minutes before landing in the Qatari capital, their plane changed course. "The plane's captain tells us that we have to turn back, that the airspace is closed," recounts Berta, "and that we are going to land at the Muscat International Airport in Oman." Once on Omani soil, they waited for about five hours, "without air conditioning," for permission to disembark from the control tower. According to these two Spaniards' estimates, around 25 planes - diverted from their destinations - were in the same situation.
Over these three days, they have been able to learn about the reality of other Europeans and, consequently, the differences between the various governments in the face of a tragedy. Thus, the Greek Government - which lacks an embassy in this Arabian sultanate but is managing everything from its headquarters in Riyadh - has managed to schedule a departure for its citizens. "Supposedly, they were supposed to leave last night," she says, "but they were told that flights were not allowed during the night, so they hope to be able to fly today." Berta and her boyfriend understand that the Spanish Government's priority in such a crisis is the repatriation of those in the very heart of the conflict, in Iran, but what resigns them is the silence or, more precisely, the almost total lack of information.
The insistence of several passengers yesterday allowed them to meet with the Spanish ambassador in Oman, Francisco Javier de Istúriz Simonet. "He is doing everything in good faith, we are sure," says Berta, "but he cannot provide us with an answer, he told us to look for flights on our own." In this wilderness, citizens also face a voracious market that has understood that every crisis is also an opportunity. The law of supply and demand has driven prices up to figures bordering on the obscene. "In some cases, they ask for 1,800 for a ticket to Istanbul," she says, "some Spaniards who left today paid 2,500 for the flight, and other guys, very luckily, found a flight for the 5th that cost them 1,780 each."
Buying a ticket in these circumstances does not exactly mean leaving. It is more an act of faith because flight cancellations are ongoing. Companies like Qatar Airways are providing accommodation and full board for their passengers, a gesture that takes on an almost providential dimension. But accepting it has an implicit condition: to stay. Buying a new ticket and checking out of the hotel is tempting fate because, if the flight is canceled, no one guarantees a return to the recently abandoned hotel or having a roof in the midst of uncertainty.
This precariousness is compounded by a more intimate one: that of clothing and personal belongings. Since Saturday, many Spaniards have been without their suitcases. Some have gone to shopping malls to buy hurriedly a change of clothes, a T-shirt that was not budgeted for the trip. To the extent that some attended the meeting, out of sheer necessity, with Istúriz in a hotel bathrobe and slippers. "Even the ambassador, given the situation [of not having suitcases], said that a small amount of cash could be offered to those who needed it to buy some clothes," Berta points out. Today, at least, they have been able to retrieve their belongings thanks to the management of the Omani government and with it a certain peace of mind, especially for those who had their medication in their suitcases.
At the close of this piece, the few remaining seats to fly with the repatriated Italians have already been assigned. Priority has been given to those with illnesses or medical conditions, but there are still over a hundred Spaniards in the sultanate with many questions: how long will their situation last, how will they leave the country, will they receive effective assistance from the embassy...