By Ismet Mikailogullari
KAPIKOY, Turkey, Jan 14 (Reuters) – Dozens of Iranians crossed the border into Turkey on Wednesday, as authorities in Iran crack down on one of the biggest ever waves of protest against the Islamic Republic’s clerical rule.
U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iranians on Tuesday to keep protesting, saying help is on the way. A rights group said 2,600 people have been killed in Iran as the clerical rulers try to quash the major wave of dissent.
Iranian families and individuals arrived in Turkey’s eastern province of Van through the Kapikoy border gate, pulling luggage and other belongings with them as they made their way through the border gate and got on vehicles heading for nearby towns.
Those asked to speak to media declined to do so, expressing fear of repercussions in Iran when they return.
Two diplomats have told Reuters there has been an increase in the numbers of people crossing from Iran to Turkey after several countries advised their citizens to leave.
However, a Turkish security official at the border said that the situation at the gate was not extraordinary, with no notable increase in the numbers arriving, but that developments there were being closely monitored.
The U.S. has urged its citizens to leave Iran immediately, and advised them to consider departing by land to Turkey or Armenia, according to a notice released on Tuesday by the U.S. virtual embassy in Tehran.
Tehran has warned neighbouring countries hosting U.S. troops that it would retaliate against American bases if Washington carries out threats to intervene in protests in Iran, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stressed the need for talks to resolve current regional tensions in a call with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araqchi, on Wednesday, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source said.
(Reporting by Ismet Mikailogullari and Jonathan SpicerWriting by Ali Kucukgocmen and Daren ButlerEditing by Frances Kerry)
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