KAPAN, Armenia — In Kapan, a collage of pictures of the bombed-out Iranian girls’ school and a portrait of Ayatollah Khamenei are attached to the gates of the Iranian consulate. People laid carnations and children’s toys and the country’s flag is lowered. “He targeted children… for what sin?” reads one such poster, featuring a portrait of Ayatollah Khamenei with inscription: “We express our sincere condolences over the deaths of innocent civilians and high-ranking military personnel.”
The receptionist at the Lernagorts Hotel in the city center says that they have been hosting Iranians who “tell terrible stories, children have died,” the receptionist said with emphasis.
In ordinary times, Kapan can be considered a parking lot for Iranian truck drivers. Usually, hundreds of their trucks are parked here along the highway passing via the city.
According to official data, 400-450 trucks cross the Armenian-Iranian Agarak-Norduz customs checkpoint daily. On February 28, when the war against Iran began, the checkpoint was announced to be closed, but today it seems to be open and operating normally. Iranians rarely enter Armenia, but trucks do enter and exit.
Standing at the Agarak checkpoint, ahead are the Iranian mountains, behind one which something that has shocked the whole world is happening.
“Mostly those with dual citizenship are able to leave,” says an Iranian woman who has just arrived entered the Armenian territory. “I know what war is; I witnessed the Iran-Iraq war, adults are not afraid, but I have a little child, she was very scared, that’s why we came to Armenia, to leave for a third country,” she said. Her 10-year-old daughter adds, “We were very scared, we didn’t go to school, there were pieces of glass scattered on the street, we heard terrible explosions.”
