ISTANBUL: As the possibility of a US strike on Iran grows with no sign yet of breakthrough in US-Iran talks, several countries including Germany and Italy scrambled on Friday to issue fresh travel advisories for the Middle East.
While flights from Istanbul airport to Tehran were also cancelled amid a mounting US military buildup around Iran.
Citing persistently unstable security conditions, Italy’s foreign ministry urged its citizens to leave Iran and advised extreme caution across the Middle East.
“Italians in (Iran) for tourism or whose presence is not strictly necessary are urged to depart,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that travel to Iraq and Lebanon was also strongly discouraged.
While Britain said it had temporarily withdrawn its staff from Iran and closed its embassy amid rising regional tensions. Britain has temporarily relocated some diplomatic staff and their dependants from Tel Aviv to another location within Israel as a precaution due to rising regional tensions, the Foreign Office said on Friday. Alongside the relocation, Britain advised against all but essential travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories, and continued to advise avoiding some areas entirely.
Poland’s foreign ministry called on citizens to leave Iran, Israel and Lebanon immediately due to the tense situation in the Middle East, it said on social media platform X on Friday. “The security situation in the Middle East is unstable. The risk of escalation is high! Airspace for civilian traffic may be closed. Return by air may be impossible or significantly hindered,” it said in three posts regarding Iran, Israel and Lebanon.
France on Friday reiterated its advice to nationals not to travel to Israel, Jerusalem and the West Bank because of the security situation in Iran.
Germany´s foreign ministry on Friday “urgently” advised nationals not to go to Israel as it sharpened its travel advice over increasing tensions in the Middle East.
Earlier, the United States authorised the departure of non-emergency embassy staff from Israel as it threatened strikes on Iran.
The Chinese embassy in Israel asked its citizens living in the country on Friday to strengthen their security precautions and emergency preparedness, citing “rising security risks in the Middle East.” Earlier on Friday, China advised nationals to avoid travelling to Iran and urged those in the country to evacuate as soon as possible.
The move came a day after latest Oman-mediated talks between Iran and the United States seen as a last-ditch bid to avert war. Initial optimism was tempered by Tehran warning Washington must drop “excessive demands” to reach a deal.
Flights from Istanbul airport to Tehran were cancelled on Friday night.
Istanbul airport said flights by Turkish Airlines and two Iranian companies to the Iranian capital had been cancelled.
Four flights to Tehran scheduled for Saturday were also cancelled, though six others remained on the schedule. A Turkish Airlines flight to the northern Iranian city of Tabriz, due to leave early Saturday, was called off.
Turkish authorities made no comment on events in Iran on Friday, declining to join the litany of nations advising their citizens against travel to the Islamic republic.
Satellite images showed a rise in the number of military support aircraft including refuelling tankers at a Saudi airbase used by the US military during a four-day period in February, as Washington built forces in the region amid tensions with Iran.
Oman, which is mediating between the United States and Iran, said the sides made progress in talks on Thursday, though there was no sign of a breakthrough that could avert potential US strikes.
