Ian Andersen, a 32-year-old from Minnetonka, Minnesota, was in Iran biking through the country when Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites. This action sparked a swift retaliatory response from Tehran, leading to missile barrages that caught Andersen in an unexpected and dangerous situation. He fled to neighboring Azerbaijan on Monday, seeking safety amidst the chaos.

Speaking to The Associated Press over Zoom from a hotel in Baku, Azerbaijan's capital, Andersen described the scenario as "extremely scary." He was on a personal mission to cycle across all seven continents and had been touring Iran with a local guide, a requirement for U.S. citizens in the country. Since the beginning of the month, he had been sharing videos of his journey with tens of thousands of followers on social media.

On the day the bombing began, Andersen and his guide were traveling from Chalus, located on Iran's Caspian Sea coast, to Tehran, where Andersen intended to apply for a visa to Afghanistan. He expressed disappointment at the unfortunate timing of his trip, stating, "It was really just, like, the worst timing possible." He and his guide decided to shelter in place and communicate in Spanish to obscure his American identity, observing long lines of cars fleeing Tehran as chaos erupted around them.

Concerned for his safety, Andersen's family, friends, and social media followers reached out to check on him. Eventually, the U.S. State Department contacted him via email, advising him to leave for either Azerbaijan or Turkey. While his VPN was blocked, a friend in Los Angeles successfully applied for an Azerbaijani visa on his behalf, which received emergency approval from the U.S. Embassy in Baku.

Faced with these circumstances, Andersen decided to abort his biking plans for the moment, acknowledging that continuing would have felt "a little nutty." He reflected on his adventurous spirit, recognizing that some might view his decision to go to such a volatile area as reckless. However, he deemed his exit as the "safe, smart choice."

Currently, Andersen's future travel plans remain uncertain. He had previously traded his job as a project manager at a construction company to pursue his dream of biking across the globe. Biking served as his escape from struggles with addiction and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He noted that despite any naivety, he harbors no regrets about his journey.

Andersen recalled other perilous moments from his travels, such as a threatening encounter with a tribesman in northern Kenya in 2023. He articulated his understanding of the risks inherent in such adventures, stating, "There’s always going to be a risk, and you have to accept it."

Despite the current chaos, Andersen plans to take a ferry across the Caspian Sea to Kazakhstan and then bike east into Uzbekistan. However, he candidly admitted, "But I don’t know where to go from there."