The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has raised its travel advisory for Iran, ministry spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) told a news conference in Taipei today, adding that all five Taiwanese nationals in Iran are safe.
Taiwan has updated its travel advisory for Iran, raising the risk to “Level 4: Red — leave as soon as possible,” and would continue to update information and adjust advisories as the situation develops, he said.
Protests erupted across Iran 17 days ago, initially due to economic hardships, but since evolving into demonstrations against Iran’s theocratic government, which was established after the 1979 revolution.
Photo: AP
The death toll could already be in the thousands after Iranian security forces opened fire on anti-government protesters across the country, Time magazine said yesterday.
Although the Iranian government has implemented an Internet shutdown, some footage recorded on mobile phones has made its way to social media, showing truck-mounted machine guns moving down residential streets, hospitals overwhelmed with shooting victims and a morgue containing hundreds of bodies, it said.
Iranian authorities have labeled the protesters as “rioters” backed by the US and Israel.
As the conflict shows no signs of slowing, the government is urging the public not to travel to Iran and has advised those already there to remain alert, Hsiao said.
The ministry pledged to continue to closely monitor the situation, he said, adding that it is in close contact with Taiwan’s representative office in Dubai, which handles Iranian affairs.
The ministry is also maintaining contact with Taiwanese nationals in Iran through expatriate networks, while the Dubai representative office would take all necessary steps to ensure their continued safety, he said.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
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