Netherlands temporarily shuts missions in Erbil, Tehran amid tensions

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Netherlands on Saturday announced that it will close its embassy in Tehran and consulate in Erbil on Sunday “as a precaution,” amid rising concerns that Iran will carry out a retaliatory attack against Israel.

“The Dutch embassy in Tehran and the consulate in Erbil will be closed to the public on Sunday out of an abundance of caution. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made this decision in response to the rising tensions between Iran and Israel,” read a statement from the foreign ministry.

“On Sunday the ministry will decide whether to reopen the consular desks on Monday,” it added, hinting at the possible closure for an extended period of time.

Tehran has vowed revenge for an April 1 attack on its embassy in Damascus that has been blamed on Israel. Two generals of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were killed in the attack.

Israel has carried out multiple strikes targeting militias affiliated with Iran as well as Lebanese Hezbollah in both Syria and Lebanon since the war in Gaza broke out on October 7. 

When Iran has sought to retaliate in the past, it has targeted sites in the Kurdistan Region that it claims are linked to Israel’s Mossad spy agency. Most recently, in January, a baby was one of four people killed in an Iranian missile attack on the Erbil home of a businessman who officials said had no ties to Israel.

The region has been on the verge of a wider conflict, but the embassy attack raised the tensions to arguably the highest point since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza.

Other countries have also taken precautionary measures in expectation of Iran’s response.

France on Friday issued a travel advisory warning its citizens not to travel to Iran, Lebanon, Israel, and the Palestinian territories and recalled diplomatic families from its mission in Tehran. 

The United States embassy in Israel also took measures, stating: "Out of an abundance of caution, US government employees and their family members are restricted from personal travel" outside the Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Beersheeva areas "until further notice."

US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller on Thursday said that Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been engaged in diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions in the Middle East. Miller said that Blinken has spoken with foreign counterparts such as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, “to make clear that escalation is not in anyone’s interest and that countries should urge Iran not to escalate.”

Pentagon spokesperson Major General Pat Ryder told journalists on Thursday that top US commander General Erik Kurilla moved up an already scheduled visit to Israel "to meet with key IDF [Israeli Defense Forces] leadership... (and) discuss the current security threats in the region."