Iran’s currency has plummeted to record lows against the dollar, sparking protests by traders in Tehran. The BBC’s James Reynolds briefly crossed over the Turkish side of the border into Iran, where he was invited into a free trade zone.
The Islamic Republic of Iran starts on the other side of a blue gate which is held shut with a simple bolt lock.
A muddy puddle on the ground straddles Iran and Turkey. Next to the blue gate, four Iranian flags fly from white poles. On the hill overlooking the border, there is a double portrait of Iran’s two Supreme Leaders – Ayatollahs Khomeini and Khamenei.
A group of Iranians wearing plain clothes and baseball caps keeps half an eye on the truck drivers waiting in the free trade zone on the Turkish side of the border.
