Iran now?
 

Hi there,

the german foreign ministry warns especially motorcyclers to ride overland through eastern Iran to Pakistan: http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/www/d...d=4&land_id=63

They mention an incident on March 16th between Zabul and Zahedan with several deaths.

Does anybody have any news on that incident or can give any advice?

Regards

Lars

To save a lot of babbnle fish -
17.03.2006

After notices in the province capital Khuzestans (Ahwaz) in the year 2005 and in January and February 2006, it is recommended again to pursue with journeys there the development of the security situation attentively. In principle it is advised against individual or Trekkingreisen into the Kurds regions in the northwest of Iran along the Turkish and Iraqi border. Travelers in border regions of Iran to the Iraq should consider also the current in each case situation in Iraq.

A substantial risk with journeys - in particular with individual or Trekkingreisen - in the provinces Kerman and Sistan Balutschestan as well as in the border areas of Iran with Pakistan and Afghanistan exist.

On 16 March 2006 it came on the distance Zabul Zahedan to an armed assault with several dead people. It is urgently advised against to travel on the landweg - in particular with the bicycle or motorcycle - to Pakistan or Afghanistan. For Afghanistan and Iraq a travel warning exists.

The message Teheran cannot grant support with requesting of visas, which are requested for the journeys specified in the managing paragraph at other representations abroad in Teheran.

On earthquakes of different extent must be counted in all parts of the country.

We were travelling completely alone with one bike on the Kurds areas in Iran, very near to Iraq border (c.a. 50km to border) in august '05.

Absolutely no problems, kurds and iranians both are very friendly. Lot of police and military there, also in Turkey on kurds areas there's amazingly lot military involved, you even see tanks on smaller roads. In Iran we were mostly stopped but got through the military and police posts just with smiles and friendly conversations - managable only the few words of english they know, they just wanted to see our bike and ask where are we from. Only one time we got the bike confiscated on the police station, but after two hours of cunfusion we were released again with all our stuff back, with the only "Sorry, Mister" words from the chief policeman.

In Turkey kurds area they saw from distance us with big bmw enduro and knew we are foregners and probably thought "can't fit guns&bombs to support kurds or terror organizations in our very limited space" so automatically let us through, while checking most of the locals, especially the big trucks. No problems with motorcycle.

Hope this helps, Margus

[This message has been edited by Margus (edited 31 March 2006).]

we came through from Pakistan to Iran to Turkey between January and March this year 2006 and had no problems other than the weather(and one police incident which we frankly brought on our self).
I reckon you would be very unlucky to have problems, but there is always a chance....
chris
http://moto-hike.blogspot.com

Iran attacks kill 21 or 22 officials. Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty: 'March 17, 2006 – Iran's national chief of police says gunmen have killed at least 21 people in southeastern Iran. Iranian authorities say the gunmen are linked to ethnic tensions near Iran's southeastern border with neighboring Afghanistan and Pakistan. The killings reportedly occurred about 90 kilometers south of the Iranian city of Zabol late on March 16 in Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan Province. The area borders Afghanistan's southwest province of Nimroz and Pakistan's southwest province of Balochistan. General Ismail Ahmadi-Moghaddam says the gunmen posed as security forces. He says they stopped vehicles traveling along Iran's Zabol-Zahedan highway and then killed the drivers and passengers.' The Guardian, via Marze Por Gohar: 'Iran accused Britain of trying to stir religious and ethnic unrest in its eastern border region yesterday after armed rebels ambushed a party of government officials and killed 21. Police said the victims, who included security officials, were ordered out of their vehicles and shot in cold blood. The fleet of cars was then set ablaze. Seven others, including the governor of the provincial capital, Zahidan, were wounded in Thursday night's incident, which happened after gunmen, disguised in military uniforms, set up a roadblock to intercept the convoy as it travelled along a remote spot in the south-eastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan. The convoy had been returning from a function honouring religious martyrs and war dead. Reports suggested that as many as 12 others had been kidnapped by the gunmen, who were said to have fled across the border into Afghanistan or Pakistan after a brief armed exchange with Iranian security forces.' Iran Focus: 'Iran’s Interior Minister pointed the finger at Britain and the United States on Saturday for an armed attack in the south-eastern province of Sistan-va-Baluchistan in the town of Zabol which left 22 Iranian officials dead in the early hours of Friday morning. Radical Shiite cleric Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi also claimed the people behind the attack were the same as those behind a spate of bombings in Iran’s south-western province of Khuzestan earlier this year and in 2005. “What is clear about the recent events in Zabol and Khuzistan is that those behind the assailants were the same”, Pour-Mohammadi told the state-run news agency ISNA. “According to reports received, certain American and British security officials have had meetings with certain leaders of bandits and have encouraged them to carry out terrorist attacks [in Iran]”, he said. Twenty-two Iranian government and provincial officials were killed and at least seven, including the governor of the nearby city of Zahedan, were critically wounded in the ambush as their convoy was returning from a gathering in Zabol to Zahedan.' Roundup at the Free Iran news forum. (various)

Lost American GI's trying to get to Iraq but couldn't spell?

"Lost American GI's trying to get to Iraq but couldn't spell?"

Not likely, they are there causing problems according to Seymour Hersh (who broke the Abu Ghraib torture stories)

"The Iran Plans
Would President Bush go to war to stop Tehran from getting the bomb?
by: Seymour M. Hersh on: 10th Apr, 06

The Bush Administration, while publicly advocating diplomacy in order to stop Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon, has increased clandestine activities inside Iran and intensified planning for a possible major air attack. Current and former American military and intelligence officials said that Air Force planning groups are drawing up lists of targets, and teams of American combat troops have been ordered into Iran, under cover, to collect targeting data and to establish contact with anti-government ethnic-minority groups. The officials say that President Bush is determined to deny the Iranian regime the opportunity to begin a pilot program, planned for this spring, to enrich uranium...................."

A long but very interesting article....
http://www.globalecho.org/view_artic...7b59bd8d8cb1c1

Border Crossing Pakistan/Iran
 

Hi there

We crossed the pakistani/irani border 4 days ago by car. it took us only 1 hour to get released by custom.

From the border to Zahedan (88 km) we got a police escort. Even in Zahedan itself, we weren't allowed to leave the hotel without a police man escorting us. He escorted us as well from the hotel to the highway entrance when we left to Kerman.

We met 2 Dutch bikers in Quetta (Pakistan), they were on the way to India. They told us as well, that they were stopped at a police roadblock in Zahedan and were given an escort to the border. So, with the escort, you should be pretty save. Anywhere else in Iran it is really no problem. From Kerman to Zahedan you will find some Police checkposts, but often you don't even need to show your passport.

In Pakistan we didn't have any problems at all. So we heard from different other overlanders, that they had escorts from Quetta to Lahore. The police was always friendly and at any checkpost, we normaly were invited to tea. The Pakistani people are very friendly as well. Even the guys whit the Kalashnikovs were waving at us.

Greetings from Shiraz

Andi

Have you got visas???

Depending on nationality it may well prove very difficult to get them at present. We have some friends trying to get from east to west and visas are not being granted which seems a problem. If you are not English or American this may not be a problem!

I'm in Brussels at the moment and am going to the Iranian embassy on Friday to see if I can get a visa. It takes 10 days. You then get a number that you can use to obtain the visa, issued I think on the spot, in any Iranian embassy. It costs 50 Euros and one passport photo. I'm using my Canadian passport, but if that fails, I'll try my Euro passport.

Visas
 

Yes, we had all the visas. We applied for them in Switzerland. For India, Pakistan and Iran it took only 3 weeks. The had New Year holidays in Iran 2 weeks ago. So if you apply for a visa at the moment, it may take longer. As we figured out, normally it's the easiest and fastest way to apply for the visas in your home country. Better not try to get the visas for pakistan in iran or for pakistan in iran. We met a German in Quetta, he was waiting since over 3 weeks for the Irani visa. Another guy (as well from Germany) had to wait for the Pakistani visa 4 weeks in Teheran! We heard that there are agencies, which will apply for your visa. Costs about 50 Euros and you can contact them via internet (sorry, I have no links). Some of them will get your visa in 3 days, by others you have to wait as well some weeks!

I don't think, that it will take you longer, if you have an american or an british passport.

Greetings

Andi

iran visa warning
 

hi we are the english people stuck in India trying to get home!
We applied through an agency in febuary but due to the goverment issues with the nuclear program in Iran we have still not been issued one and having spoken to the agency and Tehran i don't think we will get one.

SO if you are taking this route apply well in advance.

Got to Pakistan?
 

Iran has always been tricky to get into, I had the same problem in '98, though us/uk/israel wasn't about to nuke them, but they were close to war with Afghanistan.

It seems you have to apply once and be turned down before they take you seriously. I would suggest going to Pakistan (great country) and applying there for a 5 day transit visa or anything that will get you in the country as you can usually extend easily once inside the country.

I applied in Beijing, never heard back after 5 weeks, then again in Dhaka where it only took a week. Maybe something in applying from another muslim country?

Or then again you may just be up against a brick wall.....

Good luck, but keep trying and be extra nice to the embassey staff - ask to speak to the head honcho etc

I just applied again for the second time in Brussels. First time was in Vancouver. I'm on a Canadian passport... hope it works this time. Should know around the 24th.

Visa denied
 

Have just had confirmation that our visa has been rejected - no reason given but agency mentioned nationality being a problem. 8 months ago it wasn't.
Still hoping to hear from customs today regarding shipping the bikes back to UK as cheapest.
Fingers crossed