FM ‘fully ready’ to aid Maldivians living in Gulf as Iran, US and Israel exchange fire

The Maldivian Foreign Ministry says it is keeping a close eye on the situation and is ready to assist Maldivian citizens in the Gulf region, as the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday, prompting retaliatory fire directed at Israel and US bases across the region.

The Foreign Ministry urges all Maldivian citizens living in the region to follow security advisories issued by the authorities of the countries they are living in.

The Foreign Ministry also urged Maldivians who wish to share any concerns or require any assistance to contact respective Maldivian embassies.

The embassies are fully ready to provide assistance, said the ministry.

The US and Israel launched its attacks on Iran on Saturday morning, hitting a range of military and defense sites as well as civilian infrastructure in Tehran and other parts of the country.

US President Donald Trump said the joint attacks were aimed at “eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime”.

Iran launched retaliatory strikes, with explosions reported in northern Israel as well as across multiple Gulf Arab states that host US military assets, including Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

The escalation has prompted Gulf nations, including countries that host large Maldivian communities such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, to partially close their airspaces, resulting in cancellation of flights.