Azerbaijan's Astara border has become a key corridor for people wanting to leave Iran. More than 600 foreign nationals have been walking through the frontier this week amid the war in the Middle East.
AnewZ's Gulchin Khojalyova was at the crossing, where evacuation operations between Iran and Azerbaijan are continuing around the clock as foreign nationals flee amid escalating regional tensions.
She said that the largest groups include more than 150 Chinese nationals, 130 Russian citizens, 70 Pakistanis and 60 Tajik nationals, alongside smaller contingents from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Qatar, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Nepal, Georgia, Kazakhstan, France, Uzbekistan, Türkiye, Italy, Poland, Tunisia, Lebanon, India and Brazil.
Diplomatic personnel have also been evacuated. A six-member Slovak team passed safely through the checkpoint, and Serbia’s ambassador to Iran, Amir Kovacevic, was transferred following strikes affecting diplomatic facilities.
Coordinated humanitarian and logistical efforts ensured safe passage, documentation checks and onward transportation for all evacuees.
Khojalyova described the checkpoint as a “critical land route for foreign nationals amid restricted regional airspace,” highlighting the operation’s scale and urgency.
Russia’s embassy in Baku confirmed that 39 Russian citizens have already been evacuated from Iran, with roughly 500 more awaiting departure. Moscow has advised its nationals in Iran to leave via Armenia or Azerbaijan.
The UK government has issued guidance for British nationals seeking to cross into Azerbaijan overland, stating that entry may be possible with special authorisation coordinated through the embassy.
With a 689-kilometre shared border, Iran and Azerbaijan continue to rely on Astara as a functioning corridor for evacuations for taking people to safety, with authorities ensuring that humanitarian and logistical support remains in place as further crossings are expected in the coming days.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he thinks there is a chance of a peace being reached with Ukraine. He told the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia that he believed there was "a chance of finding a solution," to the conflict.
The U.S. has launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iran, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sites as Tehran retaliated against U.S. positions across the region, while Iranian officials said at least five people were killed and dozens wounded at a wedding near Sirik.
The Iranian Health Ministry said at least 18 people were killed and 142 others injured in U.S. airstrikes carried out between 30 August and 2 September.
The European Union's foreign policy chief Kaia Kallas says the bloc will tighten enforcement of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine. EU foreign ministers were meeting in Ireland following renewed Russian strikes on cities across Ukraine.
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