Many Iranians are heading to Turkey to escape the ongoing war's heavy toll

Iranians visiting the city of Van, Turkey, near the Iranian border say how expensive and difficult life back home is. Transcript ROB SCHMITZ, HOST: As the U.S. promises to ramp up its economic isolation of Iran, ordinary Iranians are already paying a heavy toll for the ongoing war. Many are heading across the border into Turkey - some for a brief escape, others looking for a way out for good. NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi is in the Turkish city of Van and brings us this report.(SOUNDBITE OF TRAIN HORN HONKING)HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, BYLINE: Twice a week, a train from Tehran brings dozens of Iranian visitors to Van in Eastern Turkey near the Iranian border.UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Taxi?AL-SHALCHI: Taxi drivers call out to the Iranian families spilling out onto the platform. The sun is blazing. Van is a place where Iranians who can afford it come to take a respite from the war. A 53-year-old commercial manager is in Van to meet a friend from the Netherlands. He says it's become a place for him to escape the tragedy inside Iran. Like everyone else NPR spoke to, he asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation from the regime.UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: A pill, you know? You just have a pill, and...