Türkiye and Iran have mutually suspended day-trip crossings at their border, Türkiye's trade minister said Monday as Israeli-US strikes continued to pound the Islamic Republic.
"Same-day passenger crossings at all three customs gates have been mutually suspended," Trade Minister Omer Bolat wrote on X.
But he insisted there was "no extraordinary situation" at the three crossings along their shared 500-kilometre (300-mile) frontier.
"Iran is allowing its own citizens to enter their country via Türkiye ... we are also allowing our own citizens and third-country nationals to enter our country from Iran," he said.
An AFP journalist at the Kapikoy border crossing saw a bit more traffic on Monday but nothing above routine levels.
"Tehran is on fire," said a 22-year-old Iranian student, who studies in Milan but was caught up by the war while on vacation in Iran. They declined to give their name.
Another student, who gave only his first name, Amir, said: "I'm glad to be out of that country", adding that he was heading to China to study medicine.
Zima, an Iranian woman coming from Tabriz, said the city was struck by "constant explosions", adding: "It's scary. But we'll come out stronger from this."
Despite the strikes, which began early Saturday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said later that day that Türkiye had not experienced any problems "in terms of border security".
Türkiye currently hosts more than 74,000 Iranians with residence permits and some 5,000 refugees.
