Azerbaijan helps more than 1,200 people leave Iran via Astara border checkpoint

By Gulchin Khojaliyeva
March 4, 2026 19:18
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Around 1,200 people have been evacuated to safety from Iran to Azerbaijan through the Astara border checkpoint. Citizens from China, Europe and South Africa, as well as Russian embassy staff, are among those to have crossed the border since Saturday (28 February). 

The most recent group to pass through the checkpoint were a group of Chinese nationals, including citizens of Belarus, Japan, Kazakhstan, Nigeria and Oman.

A previous wave consisted of a group of 50 people from China, Georgia, Italy, Nigeria, Russia, the Philippines and South Africa, explained AnewZ's Gulchin Khojaliyeva. She's been at the border covering the story since the conflict in Iran and surrounding region began on Saturday.

A woman walks past a building damaged by an airstrike in Tehran, Iran on 4 March, 2026.
Touraj Shiralilou

After completing security checks, most of the evacuees were transported by bus to the Azerbaijani capital, Baku. Russian nationals were taken to Lankaran International Airport in southeastern Azerbaijan for onward flights arranged by Moscow. 

Fighting in Iran and the Middle East has been ongoing since the U.S. killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in airstrikes on Saturday.

Iran responded to attacks from the U.S. and Israel by launching missile strikes on a range of targets across the Middle East, including airports, embassies and U.S. military bases.

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News Iran Azerbaijan Middle East Astara border
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