Türkiye restricts Iran border crossings after Israel-U.S. strikes

Türkiye has suspended day-trip crossings at its Kapıköy border and two others with Iran as regional tensions escalate following strikes involving the United States and Israel on Tehran. AnewZ's Alisultan Sultanzade was on the ground at the crossing before the restrictions came into force.

Türkiye’s Trade Minister, Omer Bolat, said that crossings at the three Turkish-Iranian border gates have been mutually suspended. 

Sultanzade said that under the current arrangements, Turkish citizens and third-country nationals are still permitted to enter Türkiye from Iran. Iranian authorities, in turn, continue to accept their own nationals returning home. Cargo transit remains operational but is proceeding under tightly controlled conditions.

Officials say all border units are operating on high alert as the security situation enters what many observers describe as a more dangerous phase.

Hundreds cross into Türkiye

On Sunday, some Iranian nationals had reportedly been prevented from crossing. By Monday afternoon, however, crossings were again taking place, set against the backdrop of snow-covered hills on the Iranian side of the frontier.

Despite the restrictions, hundreds of Iranians were seen crossing into Türkiye on Monday afternoon at the Kapıköy border gate, according to a Reuters witness. Those arriving spoke of growing fear in Tehran, with reports of long queues at petrol stations and mounting uncertainty as the conflict widens.

Reporting from the border area, Sultanzade said the atmosphere had changed markedly this week. “Movement has now been restricted,” he said.

“Regular crossings are no longer taking place, but cargo transit continues under tight control and security units are on high alert.”

An Iranian man said, "People are upset especially considering that the bombs are never particularly just for the military sites."

Another told Sultanzade that "Streets are destroyed. People are panicking to leave the country, they don't know what to do."

President Erdoğan condemns U.S.-Israel strikes

In Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered his strongest criticism yet of the U.S. and Israeli strikes, describing them as a “clear violation of international law”.

“As their neighbour and brother, we share the pain of the Iranian people,” he said during a Ramadan fast-breaking dinner, warning that failure to act diplomatically could have “serious repercussions” for regional and global security.

Türkiye, a NATO member bordering Iran, has for weeks urged Washington and Tehran to continue negotiations, cautioning that the region cannot withstand further destabilisation. While Ankara and Tehran have backed opposing sides in conflicts such as Syria, they have maintained working relations and substantial trade ties despite longstanding political differences.

President Erdoğan said Türkiye would intensify diplomatic contacts “at every level” in pursuit of a ceasefire, insisting that Ankara does not want “fighting, war, tensions, and massacres” along its borders.

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“Nobody can handle the burden of the economic and geopolitical uncertainties that such a period will cause,” Erdoğan said.

“This fire needs to be extinguished before it grows any more,” he said.

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