'Our bags are packed': Iranians who moved to Turkey for political reasons hope to return if war leads to regime change

Record ID: 2365281

  • Title: 'Our bags are packed': Iranians who moved to Turkey for political reasons hope to return if war leads to regime change
  • Date: 15th March 2026
  • Summary: VAN, TURKEY (MARCH 14, 2026) (REUTERS) JAFAR ROUSTAYI AND MOHAMMAD MAHDI SHAHBAZIFARD COOKING ROUSTAYI PREPARING FOOD (SOUNDBITE) (Farsi) IRANIAN MAN LIVING IN TURKEY, JAFAR ROUSTAYI, SAYING: "If the Islamic Republic is removed tonight and tomorrow (Iran) is freed… (I mean) if they announce that the Islamic Republic is gone and no more, and that Iran is freed, I will go b
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: EXPATS IRAN TURKEY VAN
  • Location: VAN, TURKEY
  • City: VAN, TURKEY
  • Country: Turkey
  • Topics: Fundamental Rights/Civil Liberties,Europe,Middle East,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA001415715032026RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Three Iranian men who moved to Turkey for political reasons said on Saturday (March 14) they were waiting for regime change in Iran in hopes of finally returning to their country.
    Shams, who declined to give his last name, said he has lived in Turkey for 14 years after receiving a 35-year jail sentence and a death sentence for his work as a journalist. "We're counting seconds (to go back). If everything were over, if everyone were pardoned, politicians and everyone else living abroad - we wouldn't wait a second," he said. "Our bags are packed."
    Jafar Roustayi recalled being jailed and badly treated by authorities said his "heart only beats for Iran", speaking at the restaurant in Turkey's border province of Van, where he works as a cook. Roustayi cried at times as he recalled his past in Iran. "If they announce that the Islamic Republic is gone and no more, and that Iran is freed, I will go back tomorrow morning," he said.
    All three men described not being able to see their family for years and concerns about not being able to know how they are doing now because the internet in the country is cut off.
    "it’s been close to 6 years that I haven’t seen my family and live abroad," said Mohammad Mahdi Shahbazifard, who work with Roustayi. "Certainly, I am sure of it, every Iranian abroad including me will all return to Iran once the Islamic Republic falls."
    (Production: Ismet Mikailogullari, Ali Kucukgocmen)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2026. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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