Balgarianovinite.com Iranians continued to arrive in Turkiye through the Kapikoy border checkpoint in Van Province on Tuesday. The crossing, about 100 km from the city of Van, has become a focal point since air strikes between Iran, Israel and the United States began.
Kapikoy, a border crossing between Turkiye and Iran about 100 kilometers from the Turkish city of Van, is one of the places where the impact of the Iran-Israel-U.S. exchange of airstrikes is visible in everyday life.
Since Feb. 28, journalists, photographers, taxi drivers and minibus operators have been watching the arrivals gates, waiting for people coming from Iran. Turkish authorities have yet to release official figures, but in informal conversations border guards said 1,200 people arrived between Feb. 27 and March 1, 2026. On Monday, March 2, the number rose to 2,000 after day-trip crossings were suspended. Such crossings are short visits with no overnight stay and a maximum duration of one day in the destination country.
Around midday, a steady stream of people carrying suitcases began emerging on the Turkiye side. Most were young people and students. Others made sure to bring what mattered to them, including an elderly man who had wrapped a stringed instrument in a black plastic bag. Women also stood out, many with headscarves draped over their shoulders or carried in their hands. After leaving Iran, the scarves were no longer covering their hair, as they are required to do at home.
Most avoided journalists and cameras, but those willing to say where they were from and why spoke good Turkish or English. Tehran and Tabriz were mentioned most often, and the most common reason was a desire to be somewhere safer. Questions about Iran’s political situation and their longer-term plans were the ones they most often declined to answer.
Drivers soon followed with transport offers. A taxi to Van and the city’s airport cost TRY 5,000 (about EUR 100), while a minibus cost TRY 350 (about EUR 7), making the cheaper option the clear favorite. Military and gendarmerie patrols lined the road from the border to the provincial capital. Two checkpoints were also set up, requiring everyone to disembark with their luggage for inspection.
Against this backdrop, a smaller number of people were also trying to return to Iran. On Tuesday, they included a group of workers who had lost contact with relatives. Others traveling to Tehran said they felt it was time to go back and show unity.
No humanitarian agencies, volunteers or support institutions were present at Kapikoy to assist arrivals from Iran, and their onward plans beyond Van were unclear. Iranians Keep Arriving at Kapikoy Border Checkpoint 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-03-03 16:17:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
