Amid the rapidly escalating conflict in the Middle East — marked by missile strikes, the closure of airspace, and growing threats to civilian populations — Azerbaijan has emerged as a critical humanitarian and diplomatic corridor for the evacuation of foreign nationals from Iran. Between June 13 and 17, more than 600–700 citizens from at least 17 countries crossed the Iranian-Azerbaijani border at the Astara checkpoint, making use of a temporary humanitarian corridor established with Azerbaijani support.
Although Azerbaijan’s land borders have remained closed since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the country’s authorities made the exceptional decision to open the border specifically for the purpose of organizing evacuations. According to Reuters, the evacuees included citizens of Russia, the United States, Germany, Spain, Italy, Serbia, Romania, Portugal, China, Vietnam, the UAE, Georgia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Those being evacuated crossed the border on foot or by vehicle, after which they were transported by bus to Baku, where embassies and international organizations coordinated special flights for their return home.
One of the largest evacuation efforts was led by Russia. On June 14–15 alone, at least 313 Russian citizens were evacuated. According to diplomats, this group included both tourists and temporary residents of Iran, including families with children. The operation was conducted in close coordination with the Azerbaijani authorities, enabling the evacuation to be completed in the shortest possible time.
Kazakhstan organized the departure of 109 of its citizens, 20 of whom crossed into Azerbaijan, while the rest exited via Turkmenistan. This demonstrates the geographic diversification of evacuation routes, with the Azerbaijani corridor proving to be the primary option for those located in the western and northern regions of Iran.
The swift response of the governments of Greece and Hungary also deserves particular attention. According to Greece’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 16 Greek citizens and their families were evacuated from Iran to Azerbaijan via land, in coordination with the Greek embassies in Tehran and Baku. This required highly coordinated efforts under the deteriorating conditions in Iran, where the airspace remained closed and road travel was severely restricted.
Hungary, for its part, evacuated six citizens after a 12-hour wait at the Iranian-Azerbaijani border, along with all staff of the Hungarian Embassy in Tehran and their families — a total of 15 people, including children. All evacuees were transferred to Baku, where they are now temporarily accommodated. Until the security situation in Iran improves, the Hungarian Embassy will continue operating de facto from Baku.
