American finds himself stuck in Iran as all hell breaks loose during round-the-world fundraising trip
An American YouTuber shared his desperate scramble to get out of Iran after getting trapped in the war-torn nation while on a fundraising trip.
Ian Andersen, from Minnesota, shared a video to his channel RideWithIan showing his dramatic escape from Iran as Israel sent a barrage of rocket fire.
He found himself stuck when neighboring Pakistan closed its border with Iran on Monday.
'The situation is quite dire at this point,' a panic-stricken Andersen told the camera.
'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 a years-long effort to cycle across all seven continents which he began in 2016 when he entered Iran weeks ago before the conflict with Israel was ignited.
The YouTuber said he quickly became concerned as Israel used American-supplied arms to bomb Tehran at the end of last week, fearing he could become a target for Iranian forces.
'The Iranians now see the U.S. as being like tied directly to Israel. Now people see the U.S. as the enemy. So, I'm in quite a bit of danger here,' he said.
The cyclist said the outbreak of the conflict, which has killed at least 250 people and injured hundreds more, has ended his plans to bike ride across the Middle East.
'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 showed himself in several locations in northern Tehran as he described hearing rocket fire and bombs dropping, at one point saying he heard an explosion 'just a few miles from us'.
After finding shelter for the night, Andersen spoke into the camera as he said the 'situation continues to evolve' because of 'escalations on both sides.'
'I thought it was safe, but I heard a bomb this morning,' he added.
He was joined by a tour guide named Reza, who spoke to him in Spanish in hopes that authorities would not detect that Andersen was an American.
'So, today I'm a Spaniard,' he joked as they drove through Tehran.
Andersen was in the middle of a years-long effort to cycle across all seven continents which he began in 2016 (seen on a separate trip) when he entered Iran weeks ago before the conflict with Israel was ignited
They were making their way to the border with Azerbaijan in an attempt to slip out of the country when his guide made a chilling confession about their 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 chuck me in prison for a few years and that would be the end of it.'
Although he got to the border without a visa, Andersen said at the end of his clip that Azerbaijani authorities gave him an 'emergency green light to enter' after they were contacted by the US Embassy.
'That border is never open. It hasn't been open in five years,' he said, adding that he was 'grateful to Azerbaijan'.
The YouTuber's escape comes as American forces were moved toward the Middle East amid fears that the US could be dragged into the conflict with Iran.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned on Wednesday that direct U.S. military assistance to Israel could radically destabilize the situation in the Middle East.
Ryabkov said Russia cautions the U.S. against supplying such assistance to Israel - as the ministry warned Israeli strikes on nuclear facilities had pushed the region 'millimetres away from catastrophe'.
The remarks came as the Ayatollah Khamenei issued a chilling threat to the U.S., warning that 'any US military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage'.
'This nation will not surrender to anyone in the face of imposition,' he said in his first televised comments since Israel launched its surprise attack on Friday.
The stark warning came as U.S. officials indicated that Iran has 24 to 48 hours to surrender and save itself from American invention as President Trump considers joining Israel's war.
White House officials said the next two days will be critical in determining whether Washington and Tehran can find a diplomatic solution to the burgeoning crisis in the Middle East.
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