An American cyclist making a journey from Europe to Japan got stuck in Iran due to its escalating conflict with Israel.
Ian Andersen, from Twin Cities, Minnesota, has biked across Africa and North and South America. He has been documenting his latest journey on YouTube under the handle RideWithIan. His journey was peaceful until June 13, when Israel began its aerial bombardment of Iranian cities, including the capital, Tehran.
Andersen’s videos then took on a decidedly different tone. The 32-year-old had planned to get to Tehran to get an Afghan visa to continue his cycling trip, but the escalating situation vetoed those plans. The Afghanistan border was closed, as was the Pakistan border. Iranian airspace has also been closed.
“The situation is too dangerous,” he announced in a video uploaded Tuesday. “The situation is quite dire at this point,” he added.
“All the land borders are closed. Flights have all been canceled. There’s a rumor that the border with Iraq is open. So that’s my best hope right now.”
Andersen began his cycling odyssey in 2016, entering Iran just weeks ago.
“The Iranians now see the U.S. as being like tied directly to Israel. Now people see the U.S. as the enemy. So, I’m in quite a bit of danger here,” he said.
“It’s no longer safe to bike, in my opinion,” he said. “It’s a matter of just escape and survival. Evading police, capture.”
He was videoing from Harijan, a rural village north of Tehran, in the north of the country, near the Caspian Sea.
“I thought it was safe, but I heard a bomb this morning,” he added in an update.
He said that his Iranian guide is “no longer able to protect me.”
The guide, Reza, left him at the border with Azerbaijan, where he was let through without a visa. He said authorities gave him an “emergency green light to enter” after they were contacted by the U.S. Embassy.
He said he is “grateful to Azerbaijan.”
Andersen hasn’t updated his socials since entering into Azerbaijan early on Wednesday morning.
His escape comes as U.S. President Donald Trump considers offering his support to Israel.
An Iranian official has warned that this risks initiating an “all-out war,” while the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has said that any U.S. involvement “will undoubtedly be met with irreparable harm.”
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