A border crossing in Turkey’s eastern province of Van has seen a steady flow of Iranians entering briefly, but contrary to early fears, there has been no major surge of asylum seekers fleeing unrest in their country. Instead, many Iranians are making short trips across the border to bypass communications blackouts that have severely disrupted daily life.
Since January 8, Iran has largely shut down internet access during widespread protests and a violent government crackdown. While the demonstrations have mostly subsided and a tense calm has returned to many areas, the ongoing restrictions have affected people who rely on online connectivity for work, education, and communication with family. On Saturday, some witnesses reported brief restoration of text messaging and limited internet services in parts of Iran.
For Iranians living in northern regions or able to travel from farther afield, Turkey offers a temporary workaround. Citizens of Iran can enter Turkey without a visa, allowing them to make brief trips to access the internet and return home. Some travelers said they financed their trips by selling inexpensive goods such as cigarettes and tea in Turkey, which fetch higher prices than in Iran.
Sami Ranjbar, an e-commerce worker from Tehran, returned to Iran on Friday after a four-day stay in Van. “My work depends on the internet, so I am forced to come here to access it and do my work, and then return to Iran to see how conditions develop,” he said. “If the internet is restored, we will stay, if not, we will be forced to come out again to use the internet, and go to neighboring countries or elsewhere.”
Ali, 37, who spoke on condition of partial anonymity for security reasons, was headed back to Tehran after four days in Turkey with his brother, who needed internet access to complete university applications. “A lot of our friends are arrested in Iran, and some of them have been killed,” he said. “But we have to go back to Iran because we have our family there and we have jobs there.”
The crackdown, which began on December 28 over economic grievances, has resulted in at least 3,095 deaths, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. Ali said he had mixed feelings about the situation, supporting neither the current government nor its available alternatives. “We are under a dictatorship, but we are also in danger of war from Israel and other countries. I’m not OK with being attacked by other countries, but I’m not OK at all with my government,” he said.
Residents near the northeastern border reported that daily life has largely returned to normal following minimal unrest. The area is conservative, with significant populations of ethnic Turks and Azeris. Many northern Iranians said the protests in Tehran and other regions felt distant from their lives, and some echoed the government’s narrative that foreign actors, particularly the U.S. and Israel, were behind the unrest.
Milad Soleimani, 28, from the town of Qatur just 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the border, said, “It’s true that people are struggling financially. But that is because of the things America and Israel are doing. The majority supports their state. It doesn’t matter if you have 2 million Pahlavi supporters in a nation of 94 million.”
Ethnic minorities in the region are generally wary of exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who has urged Iranians to take to the streets. Many recalled repression under the Shah’s regime, which ended in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. For these northern communities, the current government offers a measure of stability that outweighs the risks of political upheaval.
“Iran is stable, that’s what is good about it,” said Afshin, 24, a Turkish-speaking Kurdish traveler from Khoy, who spoke on condition of using only his first name. “If there is a civil war, the country will split into 80 pieces.”
For now, these short border crossings remain a practical solution for Iranians navigating the challenges of restricted communication, rather than a mass exodus of asylum seekers.
