Russians withdrawn from Iran by two distinct parties.
The morning of June 14th saw the first bus carrying 14 Russians cross the Iran-Azerbaijan border, marking the start of their evacuation. So far, a total of 56 Russians have been evacuated out of the 88 originally stranded. The evacuees include film producer Fedor Bondarchuk and his crew, who were in Iran filming the series "Tough to Be a God" when the Middle East situation took a turn for the worse.
"I want to extend my gratitude to the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, for his extraordinary assistance in facilitating the crossing of the Iran-Azerbaijan border," Fedor Bondarchuk shared with journalists, expressing his relief (quote via "RIA Novosti"). The initial group of evacuated Russians will depart for Moscow on June 14th, with the rest following in a few days.
The Russian Foreign Ministry lauded the Azerbaijani side for providing transportation from the Azerbaijani-Iranian border to Baku, accommodations, and assistance in evacuating Russians. A total of 86 people, including children from diverse nationalities like Belarus, Serbia, Uzbekistan, Latvia, and Tajikistan, were evacuated from Iran.
Meanwhile, the escalating tension between Iran and Israel continues to make headlines. On the night of June 13th, Israel launched attacks on critical facilities of Iran's nuclear program, leading to the deaths of at least 78 individuals and injuring 329 more, according to Nournews. Prominent Iranian nuclear physicists, high-ranking commanders, and even potential participants in Iran-US nuclear talks were reportedly among the casualties (source: CNN's Dana Bash, who claims she received this information from US President Donald Trump during a phone conversation).
In response, Iran retaliated with Operation "True Promise-3," targeting over 150 sites in Israel, including Tel Aviv, Ashkelon, Haifa, and Beersheba (IRGC clarification). Preliminary reports suggest that the Iranian attacks resulted in four fatalities and over 70 injuries in Israel (Jerusalem Post reports). To counter ongoing threats, an advisor to the Israeli prime minister's office, Dmitry Hendelman, stated that the IDF was broadening the scope of its military operations against Iran's nuclear program.
Stay tuned for more updates as the situation unfolds. For real-time updates, follow our Telegram channel @expert_mag.
Politics and general news are abuzz with the escalating war-and-conflicts between Iran and Israel. The latest development in the Middle East conflict involves Iran's retaliation after Israel's attacks on Iran's nuclear program, resulting in fatalities and injuries on both sides.
