Hundreds Flee into Azerbaijan and Armenia from Iran

Smoke rises following an Israeli attack on the IRIB building, the country's state broadcaster, in Tehran, Iran, June 16, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Smoke rises following an Israeli attack on the IRIB building, the country's state broadcaster, in Tehran, Iran, June 16, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
TT

Hundreds Flee into Azerbaijan and Armenia from Iran

Smoke rises following an Israeli attack on the IRIB building, the country's state broadcaster, in Tehran, Iran, June 16, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Smoke rises following an Israeli attack on the IRIB building, the country's state broadcaster, in Tehran, Iran, June 16, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

More than 600 people of 17 nationalities have fled into Azerbaijan from Iran in the five days since the start of the air war between Israel and Iran, an Azerbaijani source with knowledge of the situation said on Tuesday.

Armenian news agency Armenpress reported separately that India has evacuated 110 of its nationals from Iran via Armenia.

The flight from Iran has been prompted by surprise attacks that Israel began last Friday, to which Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks. US President Donald Trump warned residents of Tehran on Monday to evacuate immediately.

From Tehran to the crossing into Azerbaijan is a road journey of about eight hours, while reaching the Armenian border takes over 10 hours.

Azerbaijani foreign ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizadeh said more than 1,200 citizens from 51 countries had requested permission to cross from Iran into Azerbaijan.

He declined to say how many had already done so, but the Azerbaijani source put the number at more than 600. The source said they came from Russia, the United States, Germany, Spain, Italy, Serbia, Romania, Portugal, China, Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates, Georgia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Azerbaijan has kept land borders closed since the COVID-19 pandemic, but it allowed the foreigners to enter via a "humanitarian corridor" crossing at Astara in its southeast corner.

The source said people were being taken by bus to the capital Baku to catch flights to home countries.

'BIG QUEUES'

A man from the United States, who did not give his name, told Azerbaijani state TV: "There are long lines at gas stations and a fuel shortage. Everywhere you go, there are big queues – it's very frightening. I still can't believe I managed to cross the border."

Nazim Beishekeyev, a citizen of Kyrgyzstan, said he was one of 28 people from the Central Asian state who entered Azerbaijan after queuing for eight hours at the border. He thanked the authorities for providing food and medical help.

An Azerbaijani news agency, Report, said 26 Chinese nationals had crossed.

The Kremlin thanked Azerbaijan on Tuesday for helping Russian citizens leave Iran.

"Our Azerbaijani friends are providing all the most favorable conditions, for which we are very grateful to them," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.



Russian Air Defenses Destroy Ukrainian Drone Headed for Moscow, Mayor Says

 A view of Kremlin tower with backdrops of the Moscow City business center, during a stormy weather in Moscow, Russia July 14, 2025. (Reuters)
A view of Kremlin tower with backdrops of the Moscow City business center, during a stormy weather in Moscow, Russia July 14, 2025. (Reuters)
TT

Russian Air Defenses Destroy Ukrainian Drone Headed for Moscow, Mayor Says

 A view of Kremlin tower with backdrops of the Moscow City business center, during a stormy weather in Moscow, Russia July 14, 2025. (Reuters)
A view of Kremlin tower with backdrops of the Moscow City business center, during a stormy weather in Moscow, Russia July 14, 2025. (Reuters)

Russian air defenses destroyed a Ukrainian drone headed for Moscow late on Thursday, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

Sobyanin, writing on the Telegram messaging app, made no mention of casualties or damage, but said specialists were examining the area where drone fragments fell to the ground. Sobyanin said on Wednesday three drones had been intercepted.

The federal aviation agency, Rosaviatsia, briefly ordered the suspension of operations at two airports near the capital, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky, but operations were later resumed.

Russia's Defense Ministry said air defense units had destroyed 46 Ukrainian drones over a period extending four hours in the evening, including the single drone over the Moscow region.

Most of the others were downed in areas near Ukraine, including 31 over Bryansk region and 10 over Crimea, a region annexed by Russia since 2014.