site.btaBulgaria's Foreign Minister: Security Situation in Iran Continues to Deteriorate

The security situation in Iran is deteriorating by the day, Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev said on Thursday, as quoted by his Ministry.

“To ensure the safety and health of our staff, we had to arrange the relocation of 17 people, diplomatic personnel and their families, to a safe destination. In addition, two more Bulgarian citizens, the only ones who requested assistance to leave the country, crossed into Azerbaijan late on Wednesday night,” Georgiev told reporters ahead of a hearing by the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee.

The Consular Service at the Embassy in Tehran has temporarily suspended in-person services and will operate out of Baku, Azerbaijan, to ensure more effective coordination and monitoring on the ground.

Due to closed airspace, evacuation options are limited, but alternative routes are being sought, Georgiev said.

Bulgarian nationals in Iran can contact the 24/7 Coordination Centre at the Foreign Ministry for assistance and information, he added.

Georgiev also said the Bulgarian Embassy in Tel Aviv continues to operate on the ground, staying in close contact with Bulgarian citizens and providing help wherever possible.

Due to the specific situation in Israel, some citizens cannot or do not wish to be evacuated by land, but the closed airspace over Israel makes air evacuation currently impossible, he explained.