Dozens of Iranians gathered at a bus station in İstanbul on Tuesday, hoping to return home by land as the war between Israel and Iran raged on and flights remained suspended.
Iran-bound air travel was halted on Friday after Israel launched a sweeping airstrike campaign on Tehran’s nuclear facilities, prompting a wave of retaliatory attacks and leaving many Iranians stranded abroad.
Some, like 34-year-old Babak Alpor, cut short their visits to Turkey to return to their families, even as missiles continued to strike Iranian cities.
“I want to look after my parents, they’re afraid,” Alpor said. He had traveled from Tehran to İstanbul to visit his brother, a student in Turkey. But after watching scenes of destruction unfold back home, he made the decision to return — despite his mother pleading with him to stay.
With no flights available, Alpor secured a one-way bus ticket to Tehran, a 38-hour journey costing 5,000 Turkish lira, or around $127.
“I’m not scared, but of course I’m sad,” he said. “Nobody likes war.”
Nearby, a group of Iranian women spoke in hushed Farsi, reluctant to return. Alpor translated: “They’re saying they are afraid and don’t want to go back.”
Iran and Turkey share a long border, and Turkey is a top destination for Iranian tourists and students. Official figures show more than 460,000 Iranians visited Turkey in the first two months of this year alone.
The ongoing conflict has left many facing painful choices. One Iranian student, who declined to give her name, watched as her mother and younger sister boarded a bus bound for Tehran.
“My other sister who stayed in Iran is just crying and crying,” she said, explaining that her mother felt compelled to return and be with her terrified daughter still in Tehran.
The emotional departures come amid mounting international warnings. On Monday night US President Donald Trump urged Tehran’s nearly 10 million residents to evacuate “immediately.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued similar alerts following Israel’s military campaign.
Despite the urgency, some passengers remained hopeful.
“It will be over soon,” said Fahim, an Iranian tourist traveling with his wife and two young daughters. Their route would pass through Tehran before ending in Sari, a town in northern Iran. “Peace is coming,” he said, trying to reassure his children.
Others were less optimistic.
“We have bad people running the country who have been there for far too long,” said one young man waiting for the bus. “It will take at least 10 years to rebuild what has been destroyed in this war.”