A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
NPR has been reporting on Iranians crossing the border into Turkey during the war. They don't need visas, and many enter Turkey for a break from the constant bombardment. NPR's D. Parvaz spoke to a father and son in a city near the border.
D PARVAZ, BYLINE: Walking down the streets of Van with recording gear can definitely get you some nervous glances. But one young man standing outside in eatery looked at us with a bemused expression, and he started out in English.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: You bombing us.
PARVAZ: Like most Iranians, the 28-year-old asked NPR not to be named because speaking to foreign media can lead to reprisal back home. But he definitely wanted to speak to us. He said he'd come to Turkey for a breather and had dragged his father along. His father, a 62-year-old veteran of the Iran-Iraq War, stood by with a worried look on his face, and it wasn't because of the current war.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Non-English language spoken).
PARVAZ: "I'm not afraid of the bombing," he said, adding that he'd fought on the front lines. But he agreed to come for what he described as his son's morale - his spirit - explaining that the nightly bombings had taken a toll on him. Despite the war, they said that things are holding up in Iran. There's no food shortage, no fuel shortage, they said. In fact, the son said that gas is almost free there. I asked both men what they thought the outcome of the war might be.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Non-English language spoken).
PARVAZ: The father believes the U.S. would like to colonize Iran for its oil and rich mines and fears that his country might end up like Syria, which is still dealing with the ravages of a protracted civil war. The younger of the two men just wants the war to be over and says it really doesn't matter who ends up running the country.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Non-English language spoken).
PARVAZ: "Just as long as there's peace and calm. We're exhausted," he said. He has dreams, after all. Having completed his college degree and his military service, he's still unemployed, and he said he'd love to move to the U.S. I asked him why he'd want to move to a country that is currently bombing his own. He just smiled.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Non-English language spoken).
PARVAZ: "I have nothing to do with Uncle Trump. And the country's president will change eventually," he said, lighting another cigarette. His father just shook his head.
D. Parvaz, NPR News, Van, Turkey.
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