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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Global oil prices reached a four year high on Monday (9 March), surpassing $119 a barrel, as conflict in the Middle East rumbled on. Meanwhile, the Turkish Military said NATO air defence systems destroyed a missile fired from Iran towards the country.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
China has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their dispute through dialogue after Chinese envoy Yue Xiaoyong met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, as fighting between the two neighbours entered its eleventh day.
Iranian civilian and military officials have pledged their obedience to the new leader, Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei, with President Masoud Pezeshkian saying his leadership “will herald a new era of dignity and authority for the Iranian nation.”.
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is a hardline cleric with strong backing from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His rise signals continuity in Tehran's anti-Western policies.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
Trump says the United States "don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won," targeting his criticism at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Israel continues to fire missles at strategic sites in Iran and Gulf regions report more strikes from Iran.
China has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their dispute through dialogue after Chinese envoy Yue Xiaoyong met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, as fighting between the two neighbours entered its eleventh day.
Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader on Monday (9 March), signaling that hardliners remain firmly in charge, as the week-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran pushed oil above $100 a barrel.
Global oil prices reached a four year high on Monday (9 March), surpassing $119 a barrel, as conflict in the Middle East rumbled on. Meanwhile, the Turkish Military said NATO air defence systems destroyed a missile fired from Iran towards the country.
Kyrgyzstan recorded the largest increase in women’s representation in parliament worldwide in 2025, according to a new report by the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Türkiye’s official anti-disinformation agency has issued a statement refuting what it described as online “disinformation” and reiterating the strength of relations between Türkiye and Azerbaijan.
China has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their dispute through dialogue after Chinese envoy Yue Xiaoyong met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, as fighting between the two neighbours entered its eleventh day.
Almost 2,000 people have been evacuated from Iran via Azerbaijan since conflict erupted in the Middle East.
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