BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 2. Evacuations of foreign and Azerbaijani citizens from Iran are ongoing amid the escalating crisis, Trend reports.
Between the morning (8:00 (GMT+4)) of February 28 and the morning (10:00 (GMT+4)) of March 2, a total of 312 people from various countries were safely evacuated to Azerbaijan.
Among those evacuated were 101 Azerbaijani citizens, 76 from China, 39 from Russia, 32 from Pakistan, 18 each from Saudi Arabia and Tajikistan, six from the United Arab Emirates, four from Jordan, and three from Qatar. The list also includes two citizens from the Philippines, two from Nepal, and one each from Türkiye, Italy, Pakistan, Poland, Tunisia, Lebanon, India, France, and Brazil.
12:07
The evacuation of Azerbaijani and foreign nationals continues at the Astara border checkpoint since this morning, Trend reports.
So far the checkpoint has facilitated the entry of 1 French citizen, 7 Tajik citizens, and 5 Azerbaijani citizens. They completed the necessary registration and document verification procedures and entered the country safely and in an orderly manner.
The crossing process continued overnight as well, during which 50 Chinese citizens were allowed to pass through the border checkpoint.
The process is being carried out under the supervision of the relevant state authorities in accordance with required procedures, and evacuation measures continue in stages.
Following the second round of nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran on February 17, which ended without progress, the U.S. increased its presence in areas near Iran, deploying over 150 aircraft to bases in Europe and the Middle East.
The escalation follows the 3rd round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States in Geneva on February 26. Held under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, the negotiations were viewed as the final chance to strike a deal diplomatically. However, no agreements were reached, as Tehran refused to halt uranium enrichment, dismantle its nuclear facilities, or accept indefinite restrictions on its nuclear program. Israel launched its airstrikes shortly afterward, with the country's Defense Minister Katz emphasizing that the operations were preemptive.
In a significant escalation, military airstrikes conducted by Israel and the United States the previous day have reportedly resulted in the deaths of Iran’s Supreme Leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei and several members of his family.
Additionally, several of Iran’s most senior military and security officials were killed in the airstrikes, including Chief of Staff Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander-in-Chief Mohammad Pakpour, Supreme Leader adviser and Defense Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani, and Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh.
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