8 hours agoAustralia suspends operations at its embassy in Tehran due to deterioration of security
Periskopi(a year ago)
(a year ago)The Australian government has announced the suspension of its embassy's operations in Tehran, citing the deterioration of the security situation following the escalation of tensions between Israel and Iran, Periscope reports. Australia's Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, said Australian diplomats and their families were ordered to leave Iran. “The security environment is [...]
Australia's Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, said Australian diplomats and their families were ordered to leave Iran. The security environment has deteriorated dramatically. For this reason, we have taken urgent measures to protect our diplomatic staff,” said Wong.
The suspension of operations comes after the wave of Israeli air strikes that began on June 13th, which Tel Aviv described as “precautionary operations” against Iran's nuclear weapons threat. Tehran has responded with rockets and fears, increasing the risk of security in the region.
The consular staff has moved temporarily to Azerbaijan, where it is operating at border points to help Australian citizens seeking to leave Iran. Wong confirmed that the ability to provide consular services in the country is now the extremely limited “” and that airspace in Iran remains closed.
Australian Ambassador Ian McConville will stay in the region to coordinate Australia's diplomatic and logistics response.
According to official data from the Australian government, over 1,500 Australian and their family citizens in Iran have sought help to evacuate from Iranian territory.
