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The Astara Border Crossing between Iran and Azerbaijan has seen increased traffic over the last few days by foreign nations, as many continue to seek an exit from Tehran amid continued US and Israeli attacks.
The increased crossing traffic comes after the Azerbaijani government announced on Saturday that it would open the crossing to enable its nationals trapped in Iran to safely evacuate, as well as allow foreign nations to transit through.
As many as 500 Russian citizens are rumoured to have crossed into Azerbaijan as part of the new initiative, with eyewitnesses reporting seeing large groups passing security checkpoints.
Among those crossing on Monday was a Pakistani family, who had made the long and tough journey from the Iranian capital to Azerbaijan’s southernmost city, carrying as much of their belongings as they could gather in suitcases, which they dragged with them the entire way.
“We were living in Iran. So, we came here by road until the border region. From there, crossed the border”, said Rameeza, a young Pakistani girl who travelled with her brother and parents.
“It (the journey) was good. It was good, we came from the bus, to the border, and then, we came here. It was like a blast.”
Exact figures of how many people have crossed since Baku moved to open the crossing is unclear. It is estimated however that at least 370-400 people were safely evacuated from Iran via Azerbaijan since Saturday.
Those estimates include over 100 Azerbaijani nationals, with the rest being expats from almost 20 different countries, including ,France, Italy, Poland, Russia, China, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nepal.
Sadullah Khan, father of Rameeza, said he was pleased he had made it across the border with his family. “I am so happy that I came here,” he told Euronews, recalling the horrors he witnessed in the intense US-Israeli military campaign, carried out by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“There is so much bombardment in Tehran,” he said. “Two days ago, I left Tehran and headed to Astara, and now I am safe. So, I am relieved.”