Over the past few weeks, Trump has sent warships and dozens of fighter planes to the Middle East, raising fears of a US strike – even as US and Iranians diplomats held indirect talks on Iran’s nuclear programme.
But early on Saturday, the tensions came to a head as Israeli and US warplanes began hitting targets in Iran, with Trump urging Iranians to stand up to their government and telling them: “The hour of your freedom is at hand.”
Turkey, which shares a 500-kilometre border with Iran, currently hosts more than 74,000 Iranians with residence permits and some 5,000 refugees.
While the unrest has raised fears of an influx of people, there have been no reports of unusual activity at the Turkey-Iran border so far.
“WORRIED AND HAPPY”
“I’m both worried and happy, hoping for Iran’s freedom,” said Sepideh, a former teacher, who told AFP she managed to speak to a few friends in the morning, despite Iran cutting off all internet access.
Even with the internet shutdown, Mehdi, an engineer from the northern Iranian city of Tabriz, said he had managed to reach his family on Friday night.
“Everyone was aware of the possibility of war, so they have been saving fuel and storing enough food. They are planning to move to rural areas,” he said.
“We never wanted war in our country. It is the mullahs’ brutal theocracy that has put us in this situation,” he said.
“We don’t support Trump or Israel either; we want freedom and democracy, but this will not come easily. There will be very difficult days ahead, but Iran will get through this period. We will survive.”