Dagestani drivers complained of problems leaving Iran.
Heavy-duty truck drivers remain stranded at the Iranian border and are unable to leave, drivers from Dagestan have complained. The head of the Dagestan Public Monitoring Commission linked the delays in clearing vehicles to the drone attack on Nakhichevan.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," more than 600 people, including 125 Russian citizens, were evacuated from Iran to Azerbaijan on the night of March 2. On March 3, more than 400 people, including two groups of Russian citizens, were evacuated from Iran to Azerbaijan through the Astara checkpoint. One group of Russian citizens flew from Lenkoran Airport to Moscow on an Emergencies Ministry plane.
The statement from Dagestani drivers was published on his Telegram channel by Shamil Khadulaev, head of the Public Monitoring Commission of Dagestan.
"We are currently in Iran and cannot leave. The Russian Consulate is ignoring us and we don't know what to do," the attached message reads.
In the video, a man on behalf of the Dagestani drivers says that more than 1,500 vehicles are at the border in Iran. "We're running out of fuel, we've run out of money. No one's letting us in. We called the embassy, but no one's answering," the drivers say in the video. According to the recording, about 20 people took part in it.
"All this is due to the provocation with the explosion of a drone at the airport of Nakhchivan (Azerbaijan), which the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev confidently attributed to Iran. Iran, however, categorically denies involvement," Khadulayev commented on the appeal.
As "Caucasian Knot" wrote, one drone fell on the territory of the airport terminal of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, the other - near a school in the village Shekerabad. The airport building was damaged. Four people were injured in the drone attack on the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic; their condition is stable. The President of Azerbaijan demanded an apology and an investigation into the incident, as well as punishment for those responsible.
The drone attack on the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic was most likely intentional, but Azerbaijan will initially limit itself to diplomatic and political measures, avoiding direct military escalation, according to analysts in Baku.
The post garnered 14 comments on Khadulayev's Telegram channel, which has 11,331 subscribers, but most of them did not directly address the drivers' appeal.
"The guys need to be rescued from this hell; this problem needs to be resolved at the highest levels of the governments of the Republic of Dagestan and the Russian Federation," commented Ali Abdusalam.