Taiwan condemns Iran's indiscriminate attacks on Middle East countries

Taipei, March 3 (CNA) Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has condemned Iran for its "indiscriminate attacks" against countries in the region, while reiterating that it has no immediate plans to conduct mass evacuations of more than 3,000 Taiwanese nationals there.

Deputy Foreign Minister François Wu (吳志中) issued the condemnation when asked to comment on the conflict in the Middle East in which the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran starting on Feb. 28, and Iran has since retaliated against Israel and neighboring countries.

Wu said the U.S. and Israel are hoping to "eliminate terrorism from the region," and that MOFA's stance is "that as an ally of the U.S. and Israel we also condemn Iran's indiscriminate attacks on other countries."

Asked about whether Taiwan was considering getting its nationals out of the region, Wu said there were no such plans, given the massive flight cancellations in the region following the weekend's attacks.

There are currently around 3,000 long-term Taiwanese residents in Middle East countries, as well as hundreds stranded there due to flight disruptions, according to Wu.

• All 3,000 Taiwanese in the Middle East safe following U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran

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Though no evacuations are planned, Wu said that for those among them who wish to leave immediately, Taiwan's representative offices in the region will assist them.

Taiwan's representative offices in the region have maintained contact with Taiwanese nationals there, and all have reported being safe, according to Wu.

The Israeli government has also told Taipei that it will ensure that Taiwanese nationals there remain unharmed during the ongoing conflict, Wu said.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday afternoon, MOFA raised its travel warnings for two additional Middle Eastern countries affected by the ongoing regional conflict -- Egypt and Jordan -- from yellow to orange, the second-highest level, warning citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to those destinations.

• Taiwan raises travel alerts for Middle East countries affected by Iran conflict

The travel alerts for Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia were raised to orange late Sunday.

The travel alerts for Israel and Iran were also raised to the highest level after Israel and the U.S. launched airstrikes on Iran on Saturday.

Under MOFA's four-tier travel alert system, advisories are classified as gray, yellow, orange, and red, in ascending order of risk.

In case of emergency, Taiwanese nationals in the Middle East can call the nearest Taiwanese representative office for assistance or ask their families in Taiwan to contact MOFA's 24/7 toll-free emergency hotline at +886-800-085-095, the ministry said.