Australia suspends embassy in Iran, directs officials to leave

Canberra:  The Australian government, on Friday, suspended its embassy operations in Iran’s capital and ordered officials to leave the country amid the escalating military conflict in the region.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong has said that the government has directed the departure of all Australian officials and their dependents from Iran and suspended operations at the embassy in Tehran based on advice about the “deteriorating” security environment.

She said in a statement that Australia’s Ambassador to Iran will remain in the region to support the government’s response to the crisis and that Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) consular staff will be deployed to Azerbaijan to support Australians departing Iran.

“We urge Australians who are able to leave Iran to do so now, if it is safe. Those who are unable to, or do not wish to leave, are advised to shelter in place,” Wong added.

As of Friday, more than 2,000 Australian citizens had registered with DFAT for assistance leaving Iran, Xinhua news agency reported.

However, Italy will maintain operations at its embassies in both Tehran and Tel Aviv amid the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel, while organising charter flights to assist Italian nationals wishing to leave the two countries, Antonio Tajani, Minister of the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces announced that it had carried out a series of overnight airstrikes in Tehran, targeting dozens of sites linked to Iran’s missile and nuclear weapons programmes.

Among the key targets were military industrial facilities used for missile production and the headquarters of Iran’s Organisation of Defensive Innovation and Research.

US President Donald Trump will make a decision on whether he will order a strike against Iran in the next two weeks, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing.

“Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiation that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go in the next two weeks,” Leavitt said in a statement on Thursday, from Trump who responded to speculation about whether the US would directly get involved in the conflict between Iran and Israel.

–IANS