STORY: At Armenia's remote, mountainous border with Iran, business has been unusually brisk in recent days.

Located 84 miles (136km) north of Iran's sixth largest city, Tabriz, ordinarily most traffic at the Agarak crossing is Iranian truckers venturing north, or local Armenians heading south of the border to buy cheap Iranian goods.

But with Israel's bombing campaign against Iran intensifying and Iranian airspace closed, the border, only 27 miles (44km) in length, has become one of the only reliable routes out of Iran for those fleeing the country.

One man, a dual national of Iran and Australia who did not give his name, said that he had travelled with a large group from Tehran, and was aiming to get back to Australia via Armenia's capital, Yerevan.

He said: "The worst thing in this world is war. It is because of the war that we live like this, a nomadic life. People are trying to leave the country through all available borders, if possible."

The border is located 237 miles (386km) from Yerevan, though the drive, which winds along a hairpin mountain road, takes around 8 hours. Sputnik Armenia, a Russian state news outlet focussed on the former Soviet republic, reported on Tuesday that the flow of refugees had seen taxi drivers in the nearby town of Meghri had tripled their ordinary fares for the trip to Yerevan to $220 per car.

With many of Iran's neighbours like Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq themselves struggling with internal turbulence, Armenia offers a relatively democratic and stable island in a deeply troubled region.

Meanwhile, Iran's much longer border with Armenia's neighbour and bitter rival Azerbaijan has been largely closed since the covid pandemic, although some foreign nationals have been evacuated to Baku by special arrangement.

Not all of the Iranians at the Agarak crossing were set on fleeing their country.

One young man, who said he had been working in construction in Armenia and also did not give his name, said he wanted to go home to defend Iran in its hour of need.

"Fear has no meaning for an Iranian. We want to go and stand in front of the missiles, to defend our leader — Seyed Ali (Khamenei)," he said.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

At Iran's border with Armenia, fleeing Iranians speak of fear of war

VIDEO SHOWS: PEOPLE CROSSING IRAN-ARMENIA LAND BORDER AT MEGHRI CHECKPOINT / IRANIAN CITIZENS TALKING ABOUT CROSSING THE BORDER / SAYING THE WORST THING IN THIS WORLD IS WAR

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT.

SHOWS: MEGHRI, ARMENIA (JUNE 18, 2025) (A1+ - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WITH LUGGAGE CROSSING IRAN-ARMENIA LAND BORDER

2. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WITH LUGGAGE STAYING

3. MAN WITH GIRL

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Farsi) CITIZEN OF IRAN AND AUSTRALIA, NAME NOT GIVEN, SAYING:

"The worst thing in this world is war. It is because of the war that we live like this, a nomadic life. People are trying to leave the country through all available borders, if possible."

5. VANS AND CARS

6.PEOPLE WITH LUGGAGE WAITING FOR ENTER VAN

7.COUPLE TAKING PHOTO

8.BAGS NEXT TO CAR

9.(SOUNDBITE) (Farsi) IRANIAN AND CANADIAN CITIZEN, NAME NOT GIVEN, SAYING:

"This evening we were supposed to get married. (INTERPRETER SAYING: They are from (Canadian city) Vancouver. They came to Iran to get married)."

10.(SOUNDBITE) (Farsi) IRANIAN AND CANADIAN CITIZEN, NAME NOT GIVEN, SAYING:

"We will wait and then we will return to Iran to get married."

11.PEOPLE WITH LUGGAGE STAYING

12.CLOSE-UP OF LUGGAGE

13.MEN NEXT TO CAR

14.(SOUNDBITE) (Farsi) IRANIAN CITIZEN HEADING TO IRAN, NAME NOT GIVEN, SAYING:

"We want to go and defend our country. Fear has no meaning for an Iranian. We want to go and stand in front of the missiles. To defend our leader — Seyed Ali (Khamenei). We want to go and support our leader."

15.MEN GOING TO LAND BORDER

16.POLICEMAN WALKING

17.PEOPLE CROSSING LAND BORDER

18.PEOPLE WITH LUGGAGE BETWEEN CARS

19.WOMAN WITH BABY CARRIAGE

20.RETIREE COUPLE WALKING

21.(SOUNDBITE) (Farsi) IRANIAN CITIZEN, NAME NOT GIVEN, SAYING:

"(OVER WIDE OF HANDS) We came here from Tehran by bus. (INTERPRETER TRANSLATING: (OVER WIDE OF IRANIAN CITIZEN) No, no, we didn’t want to leave, we weren’t afraid, but the children insisted. We are 77 and 81 years old). (JOURNALIST ASKING: Did you close the door and leave?) We left the key to our neighbour until, with God’s help, we return."

22.RETIREE COUPLE WAITING FOR BUS

23.MOTOR BIKE, CARS AND VANS

24.POLICE CAR AND POLICEMAN