ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Switzerland and Australia on Friday announced suspending their embassies in Tehran, joining several other countries which have begun evacuating their diplomatic missions and nationals from Iran amid the ongoing escalation with Israel.

The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) said the decision to close the embassy in Tehran was made “in view of the intensity of military operations in Iran and the highly unstable situation on the ground,” calling for de-escalation and an urgent return to dialogue.

“All expatriate staff have now left Iran and are safe. They will return to Tehran as soon as the situation allows,” read the statement from the FDFA.

The Chargé d'affaires of the Swiss Embassy Ambassador Nadine Olivieri Lozano, who also acts as the representative of US interests in Iran, has been repeatedly summoned by the Iranian foreign ministry over the past week to protest Israel’s attacks and threats by US President Donald Trump.

“Switzerland is continuing to fulfil its protecting power mandate for the US in Iran through its good offices in agreement with both countries,” the FDFA clarified.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Friday announced the country was suspending its operations in Tehran, directing all Australian officials and dependents to leave the country.

“It is a decision based on the deteriorating security environment in Iran,” said Wong, noting that the decision was made after consultations with the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles.

The Australian foreign minister on Thursday said that more than 2,500 Australians have registered for assistance to flee Iran and Israel.

Czech foreign ministry spokesperson Daniel Drake told his country’s state media on Friday that diplomats from the Tehran embassy “have already been evacuated to neighboring countries,” a day after the government announced it was suspending its embassy in the Iranian capital.

Other countries that have already closed their embassies in Tehran in the wake of the Iran-Israel conflict include New Zealand, Portugal, Slovakia, and Bulgaria. Bosnia and Herzegovina has announced suspending its embassies in both Tehran and Tel Aviv.

The Israeli foreign ministry last week announced it was shutting its embassies around the world, hours after it launched a large-scale aerial campaign against Iran, targeting nuclear and military facilities across the country.

The two countries continue to trade fire on a daily basis as the conflict enters its second week.

Iranian strikes have killed at least 24 and injured over 800 in Israel, according to the latest official figures, while human rights groups have reported that over 650 have been killed and 2,000 wounded from Israeli attacks in Iran.