Iranians Cross into Turkey Amid War, But Few Plan Permanent Exodus

The Kapikoy border crossing near eastern Turkey’s Van province has become one of the few routes connecting Iranians to the rest of the world amid an airspace shutdown in Iran since U.S. and Israeli strikes on Tehran over a week ago triggered war in the Middle East.

Most travelers at the border gate have connections with Turkey through work, family, or friends, and many moved up preplanned visits because of the war. Some had residency or citizenship in a third country and were transiting through Turkey. Only a small number of Iranians who spoke to reporters said they planned to stay in Turkey indefinitely.

Reza Gol, a 38-year-old plastic surgeon, was traveling from Urmia in western Iran to see patients in Istanbul, where he used to live. He expressed uncertainty about leaving Iran permanently but hoped to clear his head during his trip. Pooneh Asghari and her husband, Iranian-Canadian citizens, were reluctantly preparing to fly to Canada, although they no longer have a house there and both work in Iran.

Fariba, who asked to be identified only by her first name out of security concerns, was headed to Izmir in western Turkey to wait out the war with her son. She noted that most of her friends and neighbors don’t have the means to escape, which might explain the lack of a major exodus across the border.

Iranians normally enter Turkey without visas. On Monday, Turkey’s trade minister announced the mutual suspension of crossings for day trips, while Iranian border officials restricted the passage of some Iranian nationals. However, since Thursday morning, both Iranians and third-country nationals have been crossing the Kapikoy border gates normally.

Turkey’s Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci reported that 2,032 travelers entered Turkey from Iran on Wednesday, while 1,966 departed back to Iran. Most of those who crossed made their way to the Van airport to continue their journey. On Friday night, about 20 passengers, mostly Iranians, were waiting for a flight the next morning.

Mehregan, a 26-year-old student in China, was visiting her family in Ahvaz when the war broke out. She drove more than 15 hours across Iran to cross into Turkey and was preparing to look for a hotel after her flight to Istanbul was canceled due to snowstorms.

Van has long been a popular destination for Iranians, but hotels and shops expect to take a hit during the Nowruz holiday in mid-March. Resat Yesilagac, owner of two hotels in Van, noted that it’s mostly quiet apart from people coming because of the war.

Migration is a sensitive topic in Turkey, which at one point hosted nearly 4 million Syrian refugees. Turkey has been enhancing its border defenses to respond to potential influxes of people fleeing unrest after mass anti-government protests in Iran were met by a brutal crackdown earlier this year.