Reihan Demitry
Caucasus correspondent
Report on Armeniabbc
Some Iranians are fleeing the country as they head to the Agarak border, which crosses between Armenia and Iran.
It feels hot, dusty and like the desert of the Agarak border passing between Armenia and Iran.
There are arid, rocky mountains surrounding the area – no trees or shade. It is not the most welcoming terrain, especially for those who have traveled long periods to reach Armenia.
A woman with a fashionable haircut with the lower half of her head shaved, hugging her baby, but her husband negotiates a price with a taxi driver. Three families have another family, and a small boy returns to his country of residence, Austria.
Most of those invading Armenia appeared to have resided or citizenship in other countries. Many had left because of the conflict between Israel and Iran. It’s now the 8th day.
“Today I saw one place where the bombing took place,” said the father, standing with a small child near the minivan they just hired. They were traveling from the town northwest of Tabriz.
“Everyone is scared. Every place is dangerous. That’s not normal,” he added.
The conflict began on June 13th, when Israel attacked nuclear and military locations and populated areas.
Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a Washington-based human rights group that has long pursued Iran, says 657 people have been killed so far. Iran retaliated with a missile attack on Israel, killing at least 24 people.
Israel says it has established an air superiority over Tehran and told people to leave part of the district. Recently, traffic has been increasingly congested on roads outside the city as some of the 10 million residents are seeking safety elsewhere.
People who went to Armenia from Tehran said the trip took at least 12 hours. Some said they hadn’t seen the Israeli strike, but they heard the sound of the explosion they caused.
“It was annoying there. Every night, an attack from Israel. I escaped from there in a very difficult way. There were no flights from there,” said a young Afghan man with a suitcase that he didn’t want to name.
He described the situation in Tehran as “very bad.”
“There’s someone going somewhere, they’re leaving. It’s like attacking every night, people can’t sleep because of the sound of the explosion. The situation is not good at all,” he said.
Many say they have come to Iran for summer vacation and are now returning to their residence
A young woman with a white scarf and thick fake eyelashes said she was back in her Australian country of residence.
“I saw something very difficult, I don’t want to talk about it,” she said, getting into the car with some others for a progression to the Armenian capital Yerevan.
“Someone will come and attack your country, do you feel normal?”
Some Israeli ministers have spoken about the possibility that the conflict could lead to the collapse of Iran’s regime.
However, Javad, who was visiting the northeastern city of Sabzebal for summer holidays and returned to Germany, said he thought this was unlikely.
“Israel has no chance. Israel is not a friend, it is our enemy,” he said. “Israel cannot come to our home to help us. Israel needs to change something for itself, not for us.”
Reuters
Israel repeatedly attacked Tehran
However, among the Iranians on the border, crossing Iranians were moving in other directions. The night before, Ali Ansai, who had been on a vacation in Armenia with his family, had returned to Tehran.
“I have no concerns and I am not at all scared. If I was to die, I would die in my country,” he said.
He said Israel is “harassing Gaza, Lebanon and other countries – the whole world.”
“How can we have nuclear weapons in such a small country?” he asked. “Based on which laws can have bombs, can Iran not focus on peaceful nuclear energy, not bombs?”
It is widely believed that Israel has nuclear weapons, but this does not confirm or deny this.
