“The first two days were okay, people said it would just end. But then it started escalating, and people really started panicking,” said Mehran Ataei, describing the Israeli bombardment of Tehran.
Speaking to Agence France-Presse (AFP) at the Kapıköy border crossing between Iran and Turkey, the 58-year-old Franco-Iranian, who lives in Paris, said he fled Tehran on the fifth day of a growing war between Israel and Iran.
In addition to the bombings, those escaping the capital reported severe internet disruptions, banking failures after cyberattacks on two major financial institutions and food shortages.
Standing beside him was his 27-year-old daughter, Lida Pourmomen.
“It was really stressful because we didn’t leave together, and Tuesday night was the worst night Tehran had experienced so far,” said Pourmomen.
“After my mum left, it felt like the sky was being torn open. I thought I might never see her again,” she added, recalling chaotic scenes of explosions, smoke and the fear of not knowing whether the deafening noise came from air defense systems or incoming missiles.
The pair was originally scheduled to fly back to Paris on Saturday. But with flights suspended, they became stranded and repeatedly contacted the French Embassy for help.
They eventually reached someone on Monday but were advised “to stay in Tehran” — advice they disregarded. A formal email instructing French citizens to leave the country was only sent on Tuesday.
“But there’s barely any internet access — there’s a window of two or three hours when you have access, so it’s likely most people didn’t receive the email telling them to leave,” Pourmomen said.
“If we hadn’t decided on our own to leave Tehran, I don’t know what would have happened,” her mother added, as they prepared for a 25-hour bus journey to İstanbul, followed by a flight home.
‘It became very bad’
At the border crossing on Thursday morning, an AFP correspondent counted several dozen new arrivals. The Turkish Ministry of Defense said there was “no increase” in numbers despite the growing violence.
“In the early days, it was just a few bombs, but later it became very bad,” said a 50-year-old Iranian pharmacist living in Melbourne, Australia, who declined to give her name.
She had arrived in Tehran on the day the conflict began to visit her mother in intensive care, eventually fleeing to the Turkish border five days later.
“People are really panicking. Yesterday the internet stopped, and two major banks were hacked, so people couldn’t access their money. And there’s not even enough food,” she said.
While people were moving to the north of the city where it was “a little bit better,” she added, “it’s not safe, really.”
“We had war before, but this one is terrible because you can’t predict it and it’s very brutal.”
Although many observers argue that change in Iran must come from within, the pharmacist expressed deep pessimism.
“They expect people to change the regime, but they can’t. They are very panicked and scared, and the regime is very brutal,” she told AFP.
She also voiced doubt about the United States’ intentions, despite confrontational language from President Donald Trump.
“We know [Iran’s Supreme Leader] Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the source of the problem, but Trump says, ‘I don’t want to kill him.’ If you really wanted to end the war, why say that?” she asked.
“Trump just pretends he wants to stop the war. This dictatorship regime is supported by the USA.”
Another traveler, Ismail Rabie, a 69-year-old retiree trying to return to his home in London, echoed that sentiment.
“It all depends on America or Europe: If they want change, it will change. If they don’t, it won’t,” he said before heading off to İstanbul.
© Agence France-Presse