Azernews.Az

Qabil Ashirov

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The evacuation of Azerbaijani citizens and foreign nationals from Iran is ongoing amid escalating regional tensions, AzerNEWS reports.

According to the report, a total of 3,040 people—citizens of Azerbaijan and various other countries—have been evacuated from Iran between 08:00 on February 28 and 10:00 on March 27.

During this period, Azerbaijan facilitated the evacuation of 723 Chinese citizens, 516 Azerbaijani nationals, 343 Russians, 198 Bangladeshis, 187 Tajiks, 184 Indians, 148 Pakistanis, 80 Omanis, 68 Indonesians, 57 Iranians, 44 Italians, 30 Algerians, 26 Spaniards, 24 Canadians, 24 Germans, 19 French, 19 Georgians, 18 Saudis, 18 Japanese, 16 Uzbeks, 13 Poles, 13 Swiss, 13 Nigerians, 13 Kazakhs, 12 Hungarians, 12 Bahrainis, 11 Mexicans, 11 Americans, 10 British citizens, 10 Belarusians, 10 Bulgarians, 10 citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo, 8 Brazilians, 8 Sudanese, and 7 Venezuelans.

In addition, smaller numbers of citizens from dozens of other countries—including the United Arab Emirates, Slovakia, Belgium, Romania, Türkiye, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Afghanistan, Australia, Austria, Greece, Vietnam, and Kyrgyzstan—were also evacuated, underscoring the multinational scope of the operation.

The evacuations come against the backdrop of heightened military escalation between the United States and Iran, following failed negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program. Since February 28, the United States and Israel have carried out airstrikes on Iranian targets. In response, Iran has launched missile and drone attacks against Israel and U.S. military installations in the region.

On the first day of the strikes, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and several senior military officials were reported killed. On March 8, Iran’s Assembly of Experts elected his son, Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, as the country’s third Supreme Leader.

Between March 1 and 5, the conflict widened, affecting multiple countries across the Middle East. U.S. casualties have been reported at eight dead and more than 140 wounded.

The conflict has also placed regional energy infrastructure and maritime routes under serious threat. Rising security tensions around the Strait of Hormuz have driven a sharp increase in global oil prices, prompting several countries to urge their citizens to leave the region.