Slovakia Temporarily Closes Embassy in Tehran Over Military Escalation

Tehran/Bratislava, 20 June (TASR) - The Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Ministry has temporarily closed its embassy in Tehran, Iran, due to the ongoing military escalation between Israel and Iran, prompting a full evacuation of the diplomatic mission, with the remaining staff scheduled to leave Iran on Friday, TASR learnt from the ministry's communications department on the same day. Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar decided on the temporary closure of the Slovak Embassy in Iran on Thursday. The measure will remain in place until the overall security conditions in Iran are assessed as favourable for the return of diplomatic staff. The Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Ministry advises citizens in crisis situations or in urgent need of consular assistance to contact its International Crisis Management Centre at +421 2 5978 5978. In recent days, Slovakia has evacuated dozens of Slovak citizens and nationals of other countries from the Middle East using a government aircraft. Israel began attacking Iran a week ago, having already struck the country’s main uranium enrichment facility in Natanz. The attacks have killed several nuclear scientists and dozens of civilians. The Jewish state claims its operation in Iran is aimed at preventing the Islamic Republic from acquiring a nuclear weapon, though Tehran denies it's pursuing one. Both sides continued their attacks for eight consecutive days. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei earlier rejected potential talks with Washington and warned that if the United States attacks Iran, it will “undoubtedly suffer irreparable damage.” lin