New Zealand shuts embassy in Iran, flies out diplomats: Govt

New Zealand said Friday it has temporarily closed its embassy in Tehran and flown out its diplomats because of worsening security in Iran.

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Diplomatic staff left Iran safely on commercial flights overnight, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry said.

The Tehran embassy’s operations were moved to Ankara, Turkey, because of the “deteriorating security situation” in Iran.

“We continue to advise against all travel to Iran. Any New Zealanders currently in the country should leave now,” the spokesperson said.

The foreign ministry said it had an “extremely limited” ability to give consular help to New Zealanders in Iran.

Severe communication challenges were making it hard for people to get in touch with family and friends in Iran, the ministry spokesperson said, advising New Zealanders there to contact relatives when they can.

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