Hundreds of Iranians flee across Turkey border — 3 crossings suspended as refugee exodus begins

A refugee exodus has begun from Iran as the US-Israel bombing campaign intensifies. Witnesses told Reuters on March 2 that 'hundreds' of Iranians had already crossed Iran's northwestern border to Turkey through the Gurbulak/Bazargan, Kapikoy/Razi, and Esendere/Serow crossings. Turkey and Iran mutually suspended operations at all three border gates as crossing capacity was overwhelmed. Iranian border guards were also stopping Iranians from crossing into Turkey on March 1, indicating attempts to prevent a mass exodus. Bloomberg had previously reported on February 24 that Turkish authorities made contingency plans for an Iranian refugee influx, including establishing refugee camps at the border and deploying forces into Iran to prevent mass migration in the event of a power vacuum. Turkey already hosts more than 2.3 million Syrian refugees and is deeply concerned about a second major wave. Analysts at Brookings note that a power vacuum in Iran could generate millions of refugees — dwarfing the Syrian crisis. Kazakhstan began planning evacuation measures for its nationals in Iran, exploring routes through Turkey or Central Asia. Russia facilitated departures for its nationals through the Iran-Turkmenistan border.