Ghana’s embassy in Tehran, the capital of Iran, has been closed down with immediate effect, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto announced.
This follows ongoing Middle East tensions between Iran and Israel.
“To guarantee the safety of our embassy staff, Ghana’s embassy in Tehran has been closed with immediate effect,” the Minister said.
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There are also plans to evacuate Ghanaians living in that country, Ablakwa added, although he did not state the total number of Ghanaians to be evacuated. According to some reports, at least 50 citizens of Ghana live in Iran.
Although the minister did not announce an embassy closure in Israel, he said directives have been given to reduce embassy operations in Tel Aviv, and that “all Ghanaians in Israel must maintain close communication with our consular department.”
The situation between Israel and Iran has already had some consequences for Ghana, as fears over the increase in global oil prices caused the government to suspend the planned implementation of the GH₵1 Levy on petroleum products.
Israel and Iran have now entered day 4 of airstrikes.
“The deadly conflict between Israel and Iran has entered its fourth day, with both sides widening their attacks. Israel attacked Iran’s state television station in the middle of a broadcast and has said it has destroyed about a third of Iran’s missile launchers. Overnight, Iran struck an Israeli oil refinery and damaged part of the power grid. In Israel, explosions were seen and residential buildings were hit,” CNN said in its live reports of the conflict.