Iranians rush to Türkiye border amid conflict as some flee, others return home

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Iranians rush to Türkiye border amid conflict as some flee, others return home

2025-06-18 17:06 Last Updated At：20:57

Many Iranians have been seen at border crossings and transportation hubs in Türkiye -- which shares a 569-kilometer border with Iran -- either rushing to reunite with family in Iran or fleeing the conflict-hit country.

With its visa-free policy allowing Iranians to stay up to 90 days, Türkiye has become a key destination for those escaping the tensions between Iran and Israel.

At the Kapikoy border crossing in Türkiye's eastern province of Van, anxious Iranians have begun arriving.

"My daughter studied here, so I had come once before. But this time I had no choice but to come. I came because I was afraid of the war. I didn't really want to come. I have children too, and I'm truly scared. I haven't slept at all for three nights. People have been really panicking. Tehran was really bad. The situation is not good at all," said an Iranian named Kirmizi Ortulu Kadin, who entered Türkiye at Van.

"Yesterday around this time, I was at work, in District 3 of Tehran. It was announced that Tehran should be evacuated, that it was going to be bombed tonight. So we had no choice but to pack up our things and come here to Van for now. Whenever things settle down, we'll go back and return to our work and lives," said Sarisin Kadin, another Iranian citizen entering Türkiye at the border crossing.

Meanwhile, in Istanbul, some Iranians were seen boarding buses to Türkiye's eastern provinces, hoping to return home from there.

"A blast occurred right in the area where I live, and it caused destruction. Even though Tehran Airport is closed today, I'm going back by bus. In a situation like this, being in my own country is very important to me," said an Iranian woman waiting for her bus to go back to Iran.

"We arrived about 10 days ago and were planning to stay another 20 days. But we're returning to our homeland. And if we can, we're going back to help our country. Because that is our homeland," an Iranian man said before boarding a bus.

As tensions mount between Iran and Israel following the latest round of missile strikes, the impact is already being felt in the region. While analysts warn of a potential refugee influx if tensions persist, Turkish officials say there's been no major movement for now.

OPEC+ to ramp up oil output in May amid global energy crisis

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, known as OPEC+, on Sunday decided to increase oil output by 206,000 barrels per day in May, according to an OPEC statement.

The decision was announced following a virtual meeting attended by Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman, which reviewed global market conditions and outlook.

Amid the ongoing military conflict in the Middle East, the eight OPEC+ countries underscored the critical importance of safeguarding international maritime routes to ensure the free flow of energy supplies.

The eight countries also expressed concern over attacks on energy infrastructure, which harmed the overall supply availability. They stressed that it is both costly and takes a long time to restore damaged energy assets to full capacity.

They are scheduled to meet again on May 3 to make further decisions.

Since the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran beginning Feb 28, the conflict in the Middle East has severely disrupted regional energy flows, with crude oil and refined product shipments declining significantly.