Tim MakMar 15

Good morning to readers. #Oil prices have surpassed $103 per barrel (+43% compared to pre-war).

At the #Armenia-#Iran border cars move both ways — families fleeing bombs, others returning home. For Hedia's family the crossing became a place in between, neither home nor exile. https://www.iranwar.news/p/caught-in-limbo-on-the-border-of

Caught in limbo on the border of Iran

At Iran’s northern border, Armenian officials expected an exodus when the war began. Instead, some travelers are stopping in small towns on the Armenian side for a brief escape.

Iran War Dispatches with Tim Mak
Show threadTim MakMar 15

ALONG THE #IRANIAN-#ARMENIAN BORDER—Two weeks ago, on the third day of the war, 21-year-old Hedia, her sister, and parents packed their car in #Tehran and drove north.

Not to flee the country, and not to start a new life.

Just to wait.

Show threadTim MakMar 15
“I am not fleeing the country,” she said. “Just a short vacation in #Armenia.”
Show threadTim Mak

When the bombing in #Iran began, officials in southern Armenia expected a surge of Iranians to cross into the country, as they had during earlier flare-ups, such as the Twelve-Day War with Israel in 2025.

This time, though, the surge hasn’t come.

Mar 15 at 4:20pmWeb
Show threadTim MakMar 15
Instead, the northern border of #Iran is a place of hesitation rather than escape, a sign that the war has shaken daily life but not yet pushed people to abandon it.
Show threadTim MakMar 15
The number of #Iranians who choose to leave or stay could determine whether the conflict turns into a wider refugee crisis across the region.
Show threadTim MakMar 15
Hedia and her family stayed in #Meghri, a small #Armenian town a few minutes from the #Iranian border, watching the war from the other side of the mountains, with every intention to go back home soon.
Show threadTim MakMar 15
Find out why the expected refugee surge at the #Armenian border has turned into a "place of hesitation" for families like Hedia’s through the link! https://www.iranwar.news/p/caught-in-limbo-on-the-border-of
Caught in limbo on the border of Iran

At Iran’s northern border, Armenian officials expected an exodus when the war began. Instead, some travelers are stopping in small towns on the Armenian side for a brief escape.

Iran War Dispatches with Tim Mak
Show threadTim MakMar 15
How do you report on a war when the country you’re covering is almost completely offline?
Join us LIVE as reporters Alessandra and Jacqueline take you behind the scenes at #Iran #War Dispatches.
https://www.iranwar.news