Mushfiqur Rahim was stranded in Jeddah while returning from his Umrah pilgrimage after US–Israel strikes on Iran led to airspace closures across the Gulf region
His Emirates flight to Dubai was forced to turn back mid-air, leaving him among thousands of stranded passengers at Jeddah airport
Airlines including Air India cancelled multiple Gulf-region flights, worsening travel disruption for passengers
Bangladesh cricketer Mushfiqur Rahim has been left stranded in Jeddah after US military strikes on Iran triggered widespread disruption to flight services across the Gulf region.
Rahim was on his way back to Bangladesh after completing his Umrah pilgrimage when escalating tensions in the Middle East forced the closure of large sections of airspace.
The United States and Israel launched a major offensive on Iran on Saturday, with US President Donald Trump urging the Iranian public to overthrow the Islamic leadership that has governed the country since 1979. The developments led to widespread flight cancellations and diversions across the region.
Taking to Facebook, Rahim explained his situation, writing, "I came to macca for the umrah hajj couple of days back…had finish my hajj and heading back to Bangladesh via Dubai (emirates) today"
He added that his Emirates flight was forced to turn back shortly after departure, "we have flown this morning from jeddah to dubai via EK 0806 but unfortunately due to the war between USA, ISRAEL AND IRAN all the flight has return to Jeddah and now i am in jeddah airpot including thoushand of passengers, when and how we will able to go to Dhaka along with other Bangladeshi people."
Several airlines have been impacted by the crisis, with Air India cancelling all flights to and from the Gulf region, including Abu Dhabi, Dammam, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Muscat and Riyadh, along with services to Tel Aviv, Israel.
The current Middle East situation has also begun to affect international cricket operations, with the Dubai-based International Cricket Council on Saturday (February 28, 2026) confirming it is working on alternative travel arrangements for players and officials returning from the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
The United States–Israel missile strikes on Iran have led to airspace closures across the Gulf, disrupting operations of major airlines, including Emirates and Air India.
The 38-year-old Rahim has already retired from ODI and T20I cricket. He remains one of Bangladesh’s most successful ODI batters, having scored 7,795 runs in 274 matches, including nine centuries and 49 half-centuries.
