Taiwan Raises Travel Alerts Amid Iran Conflict

Taipei: Taiwan's government has elevated its travel warnings for several Middle Eastern countries affected by the ongoing regional conflict, following recent airstrikes by the United States and Israel on Iran. This move comes as tensions continue to rise in the region. According to Focus Taiwan, the travel alerts for Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar were raised late Sunday from yellow to orange, the second-highest level, advising citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to those destinations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) outlined that its four-tier travel alert system classifies advisories as gray, yellow, orange, and red, in ascending order of risk. MOFA had previously escalated the travel alert for Israel and Iran to the highest level after the airstrikes were launched by Israel and the United States on Saturday. In case of emergency, Taiwanese nationals in the Middle East have been advised to contact the nearest Taiwanese representative office or have their f amilies reach out via MOFA's 24/7 toll-free emergency hotline. As of Monday, MOFA reported to CNA that no official requests for evacuation assistance had been made by Taiwanese nationals in the Middle East. The ministry confirmed it has been in communication with approximately 3,000 Taiwanese nationals in the region, ensuring their safety. MOFA emphasized that consular assistance should not be leveraged as a "political tool," responding to a statement by China's embassy in Israel regarding the evacuation of Chinese and Taiwanese nationals. Currently, Taiwan's government has no immediate plans to evacuate Taiwanese citizens from Middle Eastern countries, as Iran's retaliation has primarily targeted U.S. military sites rather than civilians. The conflict emerged after U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, which followed weeks of threats from U.S. President Donald Trump concerning Iran's nuclear capabilities. These airstrikes resulted in the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several sen ior leaders, leading to hundreds of casualties, as reported by Iranian state media and NGOs. In retaliation, Iran targeted multiple Arab states hosting U.S. military assets. International media reported that President Trump suggested the conflict might continue for the next four weeks.