Witnesses told Reuters that Iranian civilians are stranded at the border crossing between Iran and Turkey after not receiving permission to enter the Turkish side. The witnesses, three foreign passport holders who crossed the Razi land crossing in northwestern Iran on Sunday, spoke a day after Israel and the United States launched their campaign against the Islamic Republic.
One of the foreign passport holders told Reuters that a growing number of Iranians are waiting to cross from their country into Turkey’s eastern Van province. The witnesses said the reason for the delays at the border crossing was unclear. Authorities in Turkey and the Iranian Embassy in Ankara said the three border crossings between the two countries are open and that citizens can return to their homes in both countries.
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A border crossing on the Turkish side, in Van province along the Turkey-Iran border
(Photo: REUTERS/Ismet Mikailogullari)
“People want to get to Turkey, but they are not being allowed to enter,” Arslan Arslan told Reuters after arriving in Turkey from Iran. He added that between 300 and 400 people were waiting on the Iranian side to cross the border. “There are also many vehicles on the Razi side,” he said.
Umut Gonguror, who returned to Turkey following the strikes in Iran, said Iranian citizens were not being allowed to leave their country for what authorities described as technical reasons. “They are not allowing Iranian citizens to leave the country. They say the system is not working,” he said. “They also carried out our passport checks manually.”
According to a local media outlet, only Turkish citizens were allowed to enter Turkey through the Razi land crossing, and only Iranian citizens were permitted to leave Turkey and cross the border into Iran.
Reuters reported that Turkey’s government convened a meeting to address border security and to examine measures aimed at preventing infiltration and increasing readiness along the frontier.
Meanwhile, supporters of Iran’s regime continued to mourn Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was eliminated in the opening strike of Operation Roaring Lion. Crowds gathered in Isfahan to mourn his death.
On Sunday evening, a rally in support of the regime was held in Tehran. In Valiasr Square, demonstrators chanted “Death to Israel” as explosions were heard in the capital and air defense systems responded to incoming attacks.