Since Israel began military strikes on Iran last Friday, over 600 foreign nationals have crossed into neighboring Azerbaijan, a Baku government official confirmed.
The official told AFP on Tuesday that citizens from 17 different countries have been evacuated from Iran via Azerbaijan amid the escalating conflict. The evacuees crossed through the Astara border checkpoint on the Caspian Sea coast and were then transported to Baku airport for international flights home.
Those evacuated include people from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Germany, Spain, Italy, Serbia, Romania, Portugal, the United States, the UAE, China, and Vietnam.
Although Azerbaijan closed its land borders in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and has kept them shut since, the government temporarily reopened the border specifically to allow evacuees to leave Iran.
Poland’s foreign ministry also announced plans to evacuate some embassy staff in Tehran via Baku, with Deputy Foreign Minister Henryka Moscicka-Dendys stating that non-essential personnel would be supported in leaving the country.
Additionally, Turkmenistan, known for its strict border controls, permitted roughly 120 evacuees—mostly Central Asian citizens—to transit through its territory.
The Israeli strikes, aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons—a claim Iran denies—have so far killed at least 224 people and injured over 1,000, according to official figures released Sunday.
In response, Iran has launched several retaliatory attacks in Israel, killing at least 24 people, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
Read Another Story – Elon Musk Shares Drug Test Results to Refute NYT’s Drug Allegations
