Iranian Travel Agencies Banned from Sending Tourists to Turkey

According to a report by IRNA, as translated by IFP, Iran’s top tourism official Morteza Rahmani Movahhed announced on Wednesday, July 20, that Iranian travel agencies are not allowed to register or send tourists to Turkey following the recent developments and insecurity in Turkey.

“Any move against the order will be considered a violation, and the offending agencies will be prosecuted,” he went on to say.

“Since the conditions have yet to be normalized, the ban will be in place as long as the situation becomes normal,” he added.

Travels between Iran and Turkey were suspended on early Saturday, July 16, when a military coup launched by a faction in the Turkish armed forces created chaos in the country.

On Saturday morning, after a terrible night in Ankara and Istanbul, Iran’s Foreign Ministry called on nationals in Turkey, including residents or tourists, not to leave their places until further notice, avoid any gathering and heed warnings by the Turkish security officials.

In a separate statement on Sunday, Iran’s Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization announced that all border crossings with Turkey have been reopened and travels and transportation of vehicles have returned to normal.

For several hours overnight on Friday, violence shook Turkey’s two main cities, as the armed faction which tried to seize power blocked a bridge in Istanbul and strafed the headquarters of Turkish intelligence and parliament in Ankara.

At least 265 people were killed. An official said 161 of them were mostly civilians and police officers, while the remaining 104 were coup supporters.