Hope and Fear as Iranians Flee Across the Turkish Border

Published: 03 April 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

He could not help but splutter out a laugh at the sudden question. Amir, whose name has been changed for his safety, had just crossed the Kapıköy border. This mountain pass between snow-topped peaks is one of the few gateways to Turkey. Until a few weeks ago, this was a busy place for Iranian daytrippers and shoppers. They came across to the city of Van for shopping and discreet nightlife options. Back then, there were many reasons that an Iranian might give for this trip. Today, the lifeless black flag of the regime was visible behind his tired figure. This flag was raised a month ago after the death of leader Ali Khamenei. Amir smiled when he was asked about his primary motivation for leaving Iran now. He simply said the word boom because of the war and the nightly bombing. He was not bitter about the American and Israeli campaign against the local regime. Amir wants to get rid of the regime and thanked the current American president. He is a crypto currency trader by profession but has no means to work. The internet blackout imposed by the Iranian regime has destroyed his ability to earn. He hopes the bombing is working and destroying industrial areas and military base sites.

A pharmacologist from Tehran was travelling to see her three daughters in distant Europe. She intended to spend three months away from the anxiety of her home country. She stated that it is finally the right time for the local Iranian people. Most people are very tired of the revolution of the Islamic Republic of Iran. They believe the American president might finally change the regime after many difficult years. Kapıköy has not yet witnessed huge numbers of people fleeing from the Iranian side. According to the United Nations, close to 64,000 Iranians arrived throughout the past month. More than 48,000 Iranian nationals actually went back into the Islamic Republic recently as well. The current volume of movement remains notably lower than the levels seen before this conflict. Turkey has plans to manage mobility from the border in case of a mass influx. They have created a buffer zone and established tent cities for many displaced people. It has not been necessary yet, though there are four army and security checkpoints. Heavily armed soldiers in khaki can be seen on patrol by the quiet roadside. Salvador Gutiérrez is the chief of mission in Iran for the International Organization for Migration. He said people are moving internally within Iran toward the northern Caspian Sea provinces.

People have been coming back to Tehran and other cities in the recent days. Part-government-owned corporations have started to order people back to their desks for work. Many people have savings or are receiving support from their families while they wait. They are waiting to see what the final outcome of this situation will be. The American president has spoken of sending Iran back to the stone age tonight. He vowed to hit Iran extremely hard over the next two or three weeks. Gutiérrez said there have been interruptions to electricity, water, and fuel supply for citizens. If people struggle to access services, this may trigger much more significant onward movement. The International Organization for Migration estimates many residential units have been hit by strikes. This has affected 180,000 people who are now dealing with the dangers of war. The further economic hit is being felt hardest by the people at the border. Muhammed runs a travel business and was heading to Oman to find new work. He had to completely close his offices and told his staff to rest. He is sure that for one year he cannot do anything in Iran.

His house is near the airport where he hears big noises every single night. More than a hundred times they have heard the bombings near their family home. It was very hard for the first few days of the intense military campaign. After five days, the noise becomes normal to your mind despite the constant danger. He is not sure about the future but knows that war is not good. A woman on her way to Istanbul said she quaked at the falling bombs. It appeared only military targets were being struck near her home in east Tehran. People live day by day and go shopping but remain scared at night. She hopes for a change to the regime after a month without any internet. The sentiments of those passing through Kapıköy are often from the well-educated middle class. Selma Ghaemzadeh said her city of Maragheh had recently come under a heavy attack. She was proud that she lived in a strong and not a weak country. She was travelling with her parents and brother to do some shopping in Van. She could not imagine a permanent move away from her home in north Iran. It is not safe, but Iran is her country and feels right.

Many other travellers were far too scared to talk to the international media here. High-profile dissidents have been snatched and returned to Tehran from this city before. One woman in designer clothing stopped talking after being told to keep quiet. They feared being seen by people from the international Persian-language television stations nearby. There was similar reticence as the sleeper train from Tehran rolled into the station. It is not safe to talk here, according to one man disembarking the train. Others disembarking in the rain were less fearful about speaking to the waiting press. Soha is a computer programmer on her way to find work in Bangkok. She had no work due to the blackout and the bombs landing nearby. Safety was her biggest problem because a bomb hit very close to her house. Arash said there are no sirens or shelters for the people in his city. People are getting hurt when they go to the windows to watch bombs. Moji and his wife Sholeh said the east of Tehran was badly hit. They were off to the United States to stay with their adult sons. Moji is a retired accountant who knew of many people injured in attacks. He hopes for big changes but does not have much hope for the future.

It is a strange truth that many people are returning to Iran via Turkey. They often return to be closer to relatives who are currently in great peril. The Iranian men’s national football team passed through the border on Wednesday afternoon. They had played a friendly match against Costa Rica in the south of Turkey. Among others returning at the crossing were a couple who were doctors in Canada. The husband was heaving bags out of a car onto the dusty border road. He did not want to talk and suggested his wife keep quiet too. The woman insisted on speaking because she wanted to tell her personal story today. She was smartly dressed with a white scarf around her neck and spoke clearly. This war is affecting everybody and her mother passed away from the extreme stress. Her mother had a heart attack at sixty-five despite having no previous health problems. This war is affecting everyone either directly or through the loss of their parents. She said she would stay in Tehran as long as her father needed her. She wanted to tell her story before crossing back into the active war zone. These stories from the border show a nation caught between revolution and deep tragedy. The people of Iran continue to wait for a future they cannot yet see.

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