Switzerland has slightly reduced its embassy staff in Iran
Keystone-SDA
Switzerland has already slightly reduced the number of staff working at the embassy in Iran in recent days. However, the representation remains in operation.
The Swiss embassy staff has been reduced from 14 to 10 people in recent days, the foreign ministry announced on Saturday morning in response to an enquiry from the Keystone-SDA news agency.
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Ambassador Nadine Olivieri Lozano is on site and the embassy is currently “operational”. The Swiss embassy in Tel Aviv in Israel also remains operational. The ministry did not provide any further details, including specific measures and precautions to protect staff.
The foreign ministry called on all parties to respect international law and exercise restraint, via a post on the social media platform X.
After Israel and the US attacked Iran on Saturday morning, the Swiss government tightened its travel warnings for Israel. Travelling to Israel is generally not recommended. Switzerland has been advising against travelling to Iran since August 2024.
According to information from the foreign ministry on Saturday morning, five people are currently registered on TravelAdmin as travellers to Iran. There are 20 Swiss travelling to Israel.
The ministry also stated that it does not carry out organised evacuations for Swiss nationals. They are required to follow the instructions of the local authorities. Around 25,000 Swiss citizens are registered in Israel and 180 in Iran.
Protecting power channel remains active
Switzerland has represented the interests of the US in Iran since 1980 as part of a protecting power mandate. The protecting power mandate dates back to the hostage crisis of 1979: after the Islamic Republic was proclaimed in Iran, students occupied the US embassy in Tehran and took staff hostage. The US subsequently broke off all diplomatic relations with Iran.
A year later, Switzerland offered to represent the interests of the US in Iran. Since 1980, it has thus acted as a “messenger” between Washington and Tehran, taking on diplomatic and consular tasks. The corresponding “channel”, which represents the interests of the US, is active, the ministry stated. It is available to both sides and in both directions.
However, the ministry did not provide any information on whether and how the “channel” is currently being used by the two parties.
According to their own statements, Israel and the US have begun “extensive attacks” against Iran. Last week, the parties were still negotiating in Geneva.
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Adapted from German by AI/ac
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