An American YouTuber stuck in Iran recorded his way out as the unstable Middle Eastern country enters a conflict with Israel and potentially the United States.
Ian Andersen of the channel RideWithIan posted videos showing his escape from the nation as Israel launched several precision strikes, taking out key Iranian scientists and personnel.
Andersen, of Minnesota, attempted to enter the neighbouring nation of Pakistan, but found himself stuck as the country closed its border with Iran on Monday, according to the Daily Mail.
“The situation is quite dire at this point,” Andersen said in the upload. “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 was in the middle of his mission to bike across all seven continents, a challenge he started in 2016. He entered Iran weeks ago prior to the conflict with Israel kicking off.
The YouTuber said he became concerned after Israel launched its strikes using American-supplied bombs, targeting Tehran.
“The Iranians now see the US as being like tied directly to Israel. Now people see the US 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.”
Andersen took video of himself in northern Tehran, as he described rockets striking nearby and bombs dropping, saying he could hear explosions “just a few miles from us.”
“I thought it was safe, but I heard a bomb this morning,” he added.
On his way to the border with Azerbaijan, he said his guide, Reza, made a comment that he could not guarantee his safety.
“Probably the scariest part about this is that my guide says that he’s no longer able to protect me,” he said.
“So if we’re pulled over at a police checkpoint or something like this there’s not much you can do if they suspect me of anything, just throw me in prison for a few years and that would be the end of it.”
Azerbaijan, despite having a closed border with Iran, allowed Andersen into the country after contact from the US Embassy. The Trump administration put out a travel advisory urging all Americans to not travel to Iran and last week told all Americans to get out of the region.
His escape comes as Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, issued a direct warning to Washington. In his first public remarks since Israel’s strikes began Friday, Khamenei declared: “Any US military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage.” He added: “This nation will not surrender to anyone in the face of imposition.”
Trump has been steadfast in US support for Israel but has not indicated that America will join in the attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.
