As airstrikes intensify, Iranians are flocking to the borders

Briar Stewart · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 22, 2025 2:46 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Sandwiched betwixt the barren mountains straddling the astir 600-kilometre-long borderline betwixt Iran and Turkey, families propulsion suitcases and propulsion strollers done a heavy secured gross toward waiting taxis and vans.

Some are fleeing Iran to flight the intensifying airstrikes portion others are trying to participate the state to reunite with families aft days of net blackouts made it intolerable to interaction them.

With Iranian airspace closed, they person had to edifice to distant borderline crossings. 

"We got to spell [to Iran] and beryllium with our household … but possibly we volition permission again," said Ali Sadra Souf, who was trying to transverse into Iran astatine the Kapikoy-Razi borderline crossing. 

Souf was vacationing successful Turkey erstwhile Israel launched airstrikes against Iran connected June 13. On Sunday — conscionable hours aft U.S. President Donald Trump thrust Washington straight into the warfare with attacks connected 3 Iranian atomic sites — helium was making his mode backmost location with his mother. 

Souf was comfy having his representation and afloat sanction published, but astir of the Iranians CBC News spoke with asked that their names beryllium kept confidential oregon that they lone beryllium identified by their archetypal sanction due to the fact that they feared imaginable repercussions for speaking astir the government. 

Iran is ruled by a strict theocratic authorities that took powerfulness aft the gyration successful 1979. Inside the country, absorption is met with stiff and sometimes convulsive repression. 

People person been killed oregon imprisoned for adjacent the slightest signs of protest. Independent media isn't tolerated, and the authorities has eventual power implicit the communicative it projects beyond Iran's borders. 

The state of astir 90 cardinal is politically divided, and those who spoke to CBC News expressed differing opinions astir who is yet to blasted for the escalating tensions and wherever the struggle mightiness lead. 

However, they are agreed by the information that their lives person been disrupted — and adjacent endangered — by the airstrikes, which the Israeli authorities says are precisely directed astatine subject sites and targets tied to the Iranian regime. 

At the aforesaid borderline crossing, a 25-year-old Iranian told CBC News that successful the archetypal fewer days of Israel's aerial campaign, the concern was unspeakable successful the capital, Tehran. 

"It was truthful atrocious … I heard betwixt 10 to 15 explosions astir my home," helium said. 

The man, who was connected his mode to Toronto aft precocious receiving a enactment visa, didn't privation his sanction published due to the fact that helium feared that helium could look retribution erstwhile helium yet returns to sojourn his family. 

When asked what Iranians thought astir the imaginable that the struggle could pb to a authorities change, helium chose his words carefully.  

"There are antithetic groups successful the country, and yes, immoderate of them are present successful the streets," helium said.

"But astir radical conscionable privation to unrecorded successful bid … without immoderate problems and without immoderate fights."

He didn't yet person a level summons to Canada due to the fact that helium said immoderate of the Iranian banks weren't working. Iran's authorities said it imposed a near-universal net blackout for overmuch of past week arsenic a measurement to defender against cyber attacks. 

'Just trying to past this moment'

Over the past fewer days, CBC News reached retired to respective contacts successful Iran. Most couldn't respond due to the fact that they couldn't link to the internet. But erstwhile work was partially restored connected Saturday, radical began to reply with dependable memos from cities crossed the country. 

"[Everyone] is conscionable trying to past this moment," said a antheral who lone wanted to beryllium identified arsenic Hamed.

"We don't truly person overmuch spot successful the concern that the authorities is creating … determination seems to beryllium a benignant of solidarity among the people."

Earlier past week, Hamed said, helium joined the wide exodus retired of Tehran. He described driving on traffic-clogged roadways portion the sounds of explosions echoed passim the night. 

The travel to the metropolis of Qazvin, which should person taken little than 2 hours, took nine. 

"There were truthful galore accidents," helium said. "The roads weren't safe. Long queues for petrol stretched on the roadside, making it worse." 

He said helium was peculiarly angered by the net blackout due to the fact that it meant that those extracurricular Iran weren't getting an close consciousness of the interaction of the airstrikes. 

On Saturday, Iran's Health Ministry said astir 400 Iranians had been killed and different 3,056 wounded successful the Israeli strikes. 

But connected Sunday, a Virginia-based group, Human Rights Activists successful Iran, stated that its figures suggest the decease toll was higher, with much than 800 killed. It said connected its quality tract that the figures are based connected independent, non-governmental sources and its ain web of volunteers.

Among the dead, the group said it identified 363 civilians and 215 information forces personnel. 

Growing choler astatine U.S., Israel

Just hours earlier the U.S. struck Iran's atomic sites with bombers and cruise missiles, Hamed predicted that if Washington chose to go involved, Iranian nine would unite successful anger.

"Hatred toward Israel and the U.S. is rising sharply here," helium said.

"This phantasy that a overseas powerfulness … could someway pb america to state — we conscionable don't see that arsenic a possibility."

Still others accidental that the Israeli strikes connected Iran's subject and information infrastructure are destabilizing the regime, adjacent if determination are nary outward signs that the authorities is astir to topple. 

"We anticipation this warfare volition bring an extremity to the dictatorship of the Islamic Republic," said a 70-year-old pistillate who lone wanted to beryllium identified by the sanction Homa. 

"[Supreme person Ayatollah Ali] Khamanei has been astatine warfare with the full satellite for decades and has kept the Iranian radical successful sorrow, grief and misery."

Khamenei has maintained his grip connected powerfulness since 1989 by controlling virtually each facets of society, including the equipped forces and Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. 

In a dependable message, Homa said that earlier she near Tehran, determination were checkpoints each implicit the metropolis and cars were being perpetually searched. 

Alam Saleh, a elder lecturer astatine the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies astatine the Australian National University, was visiting Tehran aft helium was invited to talk astatine a conference. 

He remains successful the superior but estimates that successful a metropolis of astir 10 million, astir a 3rd person left. 

Saleh said GPS navigation systems aren't moving due to the fact that Iran is utilizing jamming systems to effort to disrupt Israeli aerial attacks. 

During 1 of the dependable messages helium sent to CBC News, the sounds of explosions could beryllium heard successful the background. 

While helium admitted helium was acrophobic for his safety, helium said helium wasn't acceptable to caput northbound to a safer country of the state conscionable yet. 

"I person witnessed the 1979 revolution. I witnessed the Iran-Iraq war," helium said.

"I deliberation this is astir apt different precise humanities infinitesimal for Iran successful its modern history."