The announcement was made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, at Passos Perdidos in parliament, during the sidelines of the debate of the 25th Constitutional Government.
In a brief statement, Rangel indicated that “repatriation operations in various locations in the Middle East continue.”
“However, today the operation in Iran has been completed, although its final phase is still underway; seven more Portuguese citizens have left, and as a result, I have ordered the temporary closure of the embassy in Tehran due to the severity of the current situation,” he announced.
When asked about the potential duration of this closure, the minister said it was not yet predictable.
“I wanted to note that this closure will be temporary, there will be a retreat to another country where we have the embassy, and as soon as possible, the embassy will be reopened,” he stated.
The minister also made a point of giving “a very special thanks” to two diplomats: the chargé d’affaires André Oliveira, who was on vacation on Friday and returned immediately Saturday morning to lead this operation, and also the senior technician, Hélder Lourenço, who was on a special diplomatic mission.
“Portuguese diplomats—I already had this experience in Ukraine, have had it in the Middle East, and also in Africa—in very, very complicated situations, are always present, often risking their lives,” he praised.
