Suggested lead: A month into the US-Israeli war on Iran, the conflict is still expanding – and could either tip toward negotiations or escalate further in the coming days. Strikes continue almost daily: Israel hitting targets deep inside Iran, and Tehran responding with missiles and drones across the region. But beyond the military escalation, it is ordinary Iranians who are bearing the brunt – facing fear, disruption, and growing uncertainty about what comes next. Our correspondent Julia Hahn reports from the Turkish city Van, near the Iranian border.

Lower thirds:

0:03  Informe / Julia Hahn
1:04  Julia Hahn / DW Correspondent, Van, Turkey
2:37  Julia Hahn / DW Correspondent, Van, Turkey
5:10  Julia Hahn / DW Correspondent, Van, Turkey

Script:
It's Monday afternoon here in the eastern Turkish city of Van.  

The train from Tehran is rolling in, 

carrying around 250 passengers.

For many on board – this is not an ordinary journey.
They are coming from a country at war.

+++SOT Man (Farsi) - no insert
Iran is completely shut down, the airports are closed. They are bombing continuously, and it's getting worse. The economy has totally collapsed, there's no gasoline left. The situation is really unbelievable. It's a disaster.+++ (15 sec)

Iran's capital has been hit almost daily for the past four weeks.

The US and Israel say they are targeting military and government sites.

But in a city like Tehran, with millions of residents – civilians are deeply 

affected.

00:55
Very few people here outside the train station in Van are willing to speak to us on camera – 

or show their faces.

+++PTC Julia Hahn / DW Correspondent, Van, Turkey
The fear of the Iranian regime runs deep, and many worry about the consequences for themselves or their loved ones back home.+++ (8 sec)

This student and her family decided to leave Tehran when the bombs came too close – 

and the internet blackout imposed by the authorities made life unbearable.
	
+++SOT Female student (English) - identity hidden/voice changed - no insert
To communicate with my family, with my friends in Iran – there is no connection with them and that's too hard. Because now we are safe but we are worried about our families, our friends, what happened to them.+++ (18 sec)

+++Julia in English asking: When would you go back?

+++SOT Female student (English)
I don't know. When the wars and this regime goes forever. They really tortured their people.+++

+++Julia in English asking: Do you have hope this time?

+++SOT Female student (English)
Yes. All of Iran people have hopes for that. Anything we have is hope. Nothing more.+++

She and her family are on their way to Istanbul,
where they plan to stay – at least for now.

We continue towards the Iranian border. 
It's a 90-minute-drive – through snow-covered mountains.

The Kapikoy land border crossing is one of three between Turkey and Iran.

The number of people arriving here is not higher than usual, an official tells us.

+++PTC Julia 
Iran's neighbors, including Turkey, have long feared that an attack on the country could destabilise the entire region and trigger a large-scale influx of refugees – so far this has not happened, despite the ongoing US-Israeli air strikes.+++ (16 sec)

Yet many who cross carry a deep sense of anxiety.

+++SOT Iranian woman (Farsi) - identity hidden - no insert
They're threatening to even attack power plants, and we're afraid of that. My family lives in Tehran – so I'm really worried and don't know what to do.+++

+++SOT Iranian woman (Farsi) - identity hidden - no insert
No one can leave Iran by air because the flights have been canceled. We only managed to cross the border by land. We want peace, we want stability, so we can build a future for ourselves and our children.+++

Not everyone feels threatened – some just come for a few days. A brief respite from the war.

+++SOT Iranian man (Farsi) - identity hidden - no insert
The fact that this bombardment is happening right now is bad, but at the same time, there is a genuine sense of pride among people. We are certain that Iran will win this war, that victory will be ours. We hope truth will triumph over falsehood – Iran over America.+++ (19 sec) 

But there are also those heading in the opposite direction – back home, into Iran. 

+++SOT Iranian Man - identity hidden, no insert (Turkish)
I've been in Turkey for three months. My family and children are in Iran now. There's a war, so I'm returning – to be with my family. I'm worried about them. My wife is pregnant.+++ (11 sec)

Back in the city of Van, Iranians have long been a visible presence.

Signs are in both Turkish and Persian, 

Iranian tourists usually come here to shop and enjoy themselves – away 

from the watchful eye of the regime.

But because of the war, holidaymakers are largely staying away.

And locals worry about the broader consequences of 

the conflict unfolding just across the border.

+++Man (Turkish) - no insert
Whatever happens to our neighbor, we are inevitably affected. Hopefully, this war will end as soon as possible. Everything will return to normal, and the bloodshed will stop.+++ (11sec)  

Several Iranian ballistic missiles have already approached Turkish airspace and 

were intercepted by NATO defenses. 

Testing Turkish President Erdogan and his government who have tried to stay out of the 

conflict, and even offered mediation.

05:21
But Ankara is also aware of the potential economic fallout of a further escalation.

+++PTC Julia - at gas station in Van
The Iran war is sending global energy prices soaring – especially oil and gas – and people here in Turkey too are feeling the pinch in their wallets.+++

At the gas stations here prices have gone up by around 20 percent.

+++Man (Turkish) - no insert
The war in Iran has really hurt gas prices. They are way too high. All the materials coming in are expensive because of the fuel. If this keeps up, we'll end up having to shut down our business.+++ 

It's the end of the day – and the train that arrived from Tehran earlier is ready to head back.  

For its passengers, it's a 23-hour trip full of fear, hope, and countless questions of what comes next.