Latest news with #ShirinTalebi
Toronto Star
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Iranians seek temporary refuge in neighboring Turkey as the conflict with Israel escalates
GURBULAK BORDER CROSSING, Turkey (AP) — After crossing into Turkey from Iran on Monday, Shirin Talebi was anxiously waiting for her children and grandchildren to arrive from Tehran at the same border point. The family are planning to stay for a month or two in Turkey, seeking temporary refuge from the escalating Israel-Iran conflict.
Hamilton Spectator
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Iranians seek temporary refuge in neighboring Turkey as the conflict with Israel escalates
GURBULAK BORDER CROSSING, Turkey (AP) — After crossing into Turkey from Iran on Monday, Shirin Talebi was anxiously waiting for her children and grandchildren to arrive from Tehran at the same border point. The family are planning to stay for a month or two in Turkey, seeking temporary refuge from the escalating Israel-Iran conflict. Observers in Turkey say the arrivals have increased since Israel on Friday launched strikes targeting Iran's nuclear program and military officials. However, Turkish officials dismiss social media reports of a large-scale influx of refugees. Turkey, which shares a 569-kilometer (348-mile) -long border with Iran, has expressed deep concern over the escalating Iran-Israel exchanges . There are fears in Turkey that a prolonged conflict could threaten Turkey's own security, cause energy disruptions and lead to refugee flows. 'I'm here because of safety. They are bombing. My children have small children of their own,' said Talebi, speaking at the Gurbulak-Bazargan crossing after arriving from the Iranian city of Urmia. 'Hopefully, it is over in one or two months so we can return to our country,' she said. Iran has retaliated to Israel's barrages by firing waves of ballistic missiles at Israel and the conflict is now in its fourth day. In telephone calls with U.S. President Donald Trump and Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian , Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has offered to act as a 'facilitator' toward ending the conflict and resuming U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations, which were called off on Sunday. In a televised address following a Cabinet meeting on Monday, Erdogan warned Israel that it was putting its own future at risk with its military actions. Iran's nuclear program should be dealt with through negotiations, he said. 'We have argued from the very beginning' for negotiations, Erdogan said. 'Today, we are at the same point.' He also slammed the West and Israeli actions in Gaza where Israeli troops are fighting against the Palestinian militant Hamas group since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel. 'Israel, which attacks Iran with the unlimited support from the West, destroys Gaza, and bullies every country in the region, is not aware of what it is doing,' Erdogan said. 'Perhaps it will realize its mistake in the future, but we are afraid that by then it will be too late.' Turkey has not provided any official figures for arrivals from Iran, with the the Turkish presidential communications office saying authorities say 'there is no unusual movement, congestion or irregular crossing.' Turkey allows Iranians to enter the country without a visa for tourism purposes and stay for up to 90 days. At Gurbulak, one of the busiest crossings between Turkey and Iran, bus driver Ferit Aktas had just brought a group of Iranians from Istanbul and was waiting to pick up others. He said 10 days ago, three to five Iranians would arrive for shopping or tourism. Now 'there are at least 30 Iranians in my vehicle per day,' he said. 'They say, 'We are not safe there and we are forced to come.' Most of them want to go to Europe, they want to go to Europe through Turkey.' Mejid Dehimi, also from Umria, arrived for a week-long break Monday, not to escape the conflict, he said and expressed support for Iranian leaders. 'We are not afraid of death,' he said. 'We will stand against Israel until our last breath and for as long as our lives allow.' ___ Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Iranians seek temporary refuge in neighbouring Turkiye as conflict with Israel escalates
At a border crossing between Turkiye and Iran, Shirin Talebi was anxiously waiting on Monday for her children and grandchildren to arrive from Tehran. The family is planning to stay for a month or two in Turkiye, seeking temporary refuge from the conflict between Israel and Iran. "I'm here because of safety. They are bombing. My children have small children of their own," said Talebi, who had just arrived at the Gurbulak-Bazargan border crossing from the Iranian city of Urmia. "Hopefully, it is over in one or two months so we can return to our country," she said. Ads By Google Ad will close in 27 Skip ad in 2 Skip Ad by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Eat 1 Teaspoon Every Night, See What Happens A Week Later [Video] getfittoday Undo Turkiye, which shares a 569 kilometre-long border with Iran, has expressed deep concern over the escalating armed conflict between Iran and Israel. Israel launched an assault on Iran's top military leaders, uranium enrichment sites and nuclear scientists that it said was necessary to prevent the country from getting any closer to building an atomic weapon. Friday's surprise attack came two days before Iran and the US were set to hold a negotiating session for a deal over Tehran's nuclear programme. Live Events Iran has retaliated by firing waves of ballistic missiles at Israel. There are fears in Turkiye that a prolonged conflict could threaten its security, cause energy disruptions and lead to refugee flows. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated that Turkiye was ready to act as a "facilitator" toward ending the conflict and resuming nuclear negotiations in telephone calls with US President Donald Trump and Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian. Observers have noted an increase in arrivals from Iran since the conflict, though Turkish officials have dismissed social media reports of a large-scale refugee influx as unfounded. Turkiye has not provided any official figures for arrivals. "Our Ministry of Interior and relevant security units confirm that there is no unusual movement, congestion or irregular crossing at both the Kapikoy and Gurbulak border gates," the Turkish presidential communications office said. Turkiye allows Iranians to enter the country without a visa for tourism purposes and stay for up to 90 days. At Gurbulak, one of the busiest crossings between Turkiye and Iran, bus driver Ferit Aktas had just brought a group of Iranians to the border gate from Istanbul and was waiting to pick up others. "About a week or 10 days ago, there would be between three and five people (Iranians) who would come for shopping or tourism. But now, I can say, that there are at least 30 Iranians in my vehicle per day," he said. "They say, We are not safe there and we are forced to come.' Most of them want to go to Europe, they want to go to Europe through Turkiye," Aktas said. Mejid Dehimi, also from Umria, arrived in Turkiye for a week-long break, not to escape the conflict. He expressed support for his country's leaders. "We are not afraid of death," he said. "We will stand against Israel until our last breath and for as long as our lives allow."
Asharq Al-Awsat
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Iranians Seek Temporary Refuge in Neighboring Türkiye as Conflict with Israel Escalates
At a border crossing between Türkiye and Iran, Shirin Talebi was anxiously waiting on Monday for her children and grandchildren to arrive from Tehran. The family are planning to stay for a month or two in Türkiye, seeking temporary refuge from the conflict between Israel and Iran. "I'm here because of safety. They are bombing. My children have small children of their own," said Talebi, who had just arrived at the Gurbulak-Bazargan border crossing from the Iranian city of Urmia. "Hopefully, it is over in one or two months so we can return to our country," she said. Türkiye, which shares a 569 kilometer-long (348 miles) border with Iran, has expressed deep concern over the escalating armed conflict between Iran and Israel. Israel launched an assault on Iran's top military leaders, uranium enrichment sites and nuclear scientists that it said was necessary to prevent the country from getting any closer to building an atomic weapon. Friday's surprise attack came two days before Iran and the US were set to hold a negotiating session for a deal over Tehran's nuclear program. Iran has retaliated by firing waves of ballistic missiles at Israel. There are fears in Türkiye that a prolonged conflict could threaten its security, cause energy disruptions and lead to refugee flows. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated that Türkiye was ready to act as a "facilitator" toward ending the conflict and resuming nuclear negotiations in telephone calls with US President Donald Trump and Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian. Observers have noted an increase in arrivals from Iran since the conflict, though Turkish officials have dismissed social media reports of a large-scale refugee influx as unfounded. Türkiye has not provided any official figures for arrivals. "Our Ministry of Interior and relevant security units confirm that there is no unusual movement, congestion or irregular crossing at both the Kapıkoy and Gurbulak border gates," the Turkish presidential communications office said. Türkiye allows Iranians to enter the country without a visa for tourism purposes and stay for up to 90 days. At Gurbulak, one of the busiest crossings between Türkiye and Iran, bus driver Ferit Aktas had just brought a group of Iranians to the border gate from Istanbul and was waiting to pick up others. "About a week or 10 days ago, there would be between three and five people (Iranians) who would come for shopping or tourism. But now, I can say, that there are at least 30 Iranians in my vehicle per day," he said. "They say, 'We are not safe there and we are forced to come.' Most of them want to go to Europe, they want to go to Europe through Türkiye," Aktas said. Mejid Dehimi, also from Umria, arrived in Türkiye for a week-long break, not to escape the conflict. He expressed support for his country's leaders. "We are not afraid of death," he said. "We will stand against Israel until our last breath and for as long as our lives allow."
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iranians seek temporary refuge in neighboring Turkey as conflict with Israel escalates
GURBULAK BORDER CROSSING, Turkey (AP) — At a border crossing between Turkey and Iran, Shirin Talebi was anxiously waiting on Monday for her children and grandchildren to arrive from Tehran. The family are planning to stay for a month or two in Turkey, seeking temporary refuge from the conflict between Israel and Iran. 'I'm here because of safety. They are bombing. My children have small children of their own,' said Talebi, who had just arrived at the Gurbulak-Bazargan border crossing from the Iranian city of Urmia. 'Hopefully, it is over in one or two months so we can return to our country,' she said. Turkey, which shares a 569 kilometer-long (348 miles) border with Iran, has expressed deep concern over the escalating armed conflict between Iran and Israel. Israel launched an assault on Iran's top military leaders, uranium enrichment sites and nuclear scientists that it said was necessary to prevent the country from getting any closer to building an atomic weapon. Friday's surprise attack came two days before Iran and the U.S. were set to hold a negotiating session for a deal over Tehran's nuclear program. Iran has retaliated by firing waves of ballistic missiles at Israel. There are fears in Turkey that a prolonged conflict could threaten its security, cause energy disruptions and lead to refugee flows. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated that Turkey was ready to act as a 'facilitator' toward ending the conflict and resuming nuclear negotiations in telephone calls with U.S. President Donald Trump and Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian. Observers have noted an increase in arrivals from Iran since the conflict, though Turkish officials have dismissed social media reports of a large-scale refugee influx as unfounded. Turkey has not provided any official figures for arrivals. 'Our Ministry of Interior and relevant security units confirm that there is no unusual movement, congestion or irregular crossing at both the Kapıkoy and Gurbulak border gates,' the Turkish presidential communications office said. Turkey allows Iranians to enter the country without a visa for tourism purposes and stay for up to 90 days. At Gurbulak, one of the busiest crossings between Turkey and Iran, bus driver Ferit Aktas had just brought a group of Iranians to the border gate from Istanbul and was waiting to pick up others. 'About a week or 10 days ago, there would be between three and five people (Iranians) who would come for shopping or tourism. But now, I can say, that there are at least 30 Iranians in my vehicle per day," he said. 'They say, 'We are not safe there and we are forced to come.' Most of them want to go to Europe, they want to go to Europe through Turkey," Aktas said. Mejid Dehimi, also from Umria, arrived in Turkey for a week-long break, not to escape the conflict. He expressed support for his country's leaders. 'We are not afraid of death,' he said. 'We will stand against Israel until our last breath and for as long as our lives allow.'
