29 Thais in Iran ask to return home as Foreign Ministry sets up “war room”

Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the overall situation in Iran remains highly sensitive, with fighting continuing, and urged Thais overseas to strictly follow instructions issued by host-country authorities. Some Thais in Iran and Israel have already asked to return home.

Panidone Pachimsawat, acting director-general of the Department of Information and deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Sunday briefed reporters on the situation and assistance for Thais in the Middle East. He said that on February 28, 2026, the ministry set up a situation-monitoring centre to assess tensions in the Middle East (a “war room”) to closely track and evaluate developments with relevant Thai agencies. It also established a 24-hour coordination centre under the Department of Consular Affairs to provide urgent assistance to Thai nationals, and issued a travel advisory urging Thais with no essential reason to avoid travel to the Middle East.

The ministry estimates there are around 110,000 Thais in the Middle East: Israel 65,000; United Arab Emirates 20,163; Saudi Arabia 7,342; Bahrain 6,500; Qatar 4,750; Egypt 3,700; Oman 1,116; Kuwait 1,019; Jordan 723; Iraq 237; Iran 250; Yemen 120; Lebanon 118; and Syria 40.

Overall, there have been no reports of Thai nationals in the region suffering severe impacts. All Thai embassies and consulates-general in the Middle East have issued advisories urging Thais to follow news updates and official announcements from host governments, as well as guidance from Thai missions. Thais in high-risk areas have been advised to leave those areas as soon as possible or consider relocating to shelters where available. The ministry has also prepared evacuation plans and noted it may coordinate with other countries or international organisations that are also preparing evacuations.

Embassy in Tehran: The Royal Thai Embassy in Tehran said attacks have continued in security-related areas in Iran, and the embassy is located near those areas. The situation is expected to intensify further. The embassy has opened an operations centre so Thais can contact it at any time if they need help or have questions. It is planning to evacuate Thai nationals as soon as possible and has opened registration for those wishing to return to Thailand. So far, 29 Thais (students and workers) have expressed their wish to return.

Embassy in Tel Aviv: The Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv said it is communicating closely with the Thai community in Israel and has opened four phone numbers for 24-hour contact. There are about 65,000 Thais in Israel, mostly agricultural workers. At present, no more than 20 have expressed a wish to return to Thailand. There are multiple possible land evacuation routes to neighbouring borders, depending on where Thai nationals are located.

For Thais in other countries in the region that have been targeted by Iranian attacks or affected by the fighting—such as the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan—relevant embassies and consulates-general are assessing evacuation routes and coordinating details with airlines and host-country authorities.