Austria suspends all consular services in Iran until 'return to normalcy'
The Austrian Embassy in Iran has suspended all consular services citing an “insurmountable obstacle” but giving no further details or timeline for reopening.
The Austrian Embassy in Iran has suspended all consular services citing an “insurmountable obstacle” but giving no further details or timeline for reopening.
According to the embassy’s official website, all consular services are suspended until further notice, which means that even previously submitted applications cannot be processed.
The announcement also said that existing appointments for residence and settlement services are canceled until the end of September, advising applicants to “book new appointments as soon as the situation has returned to normal.”
No further details were provided about what prompted the decision.
The Austrian foreign ministry told Iran International it was "working to re-establish the conditions which would allow us to resume consular services at the Embassy in Tehran."
However, it said "there is no concrete indication when consular services will resume."
Several embassies and consulates in Iran suspended services in June during the 12-day war with Israel.
The Czech Embassy suspended its services in June and has not yet resumed its operations, though it announced plans to gradually restart services in September.
The German Embassy, citing security concerns, relocated some consular staff to other countries in the region, but continues to provide services in Iran.
Embassies of Portugal, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom also suspended services in June but have since resumed full operations.
The closure of foreign embassies in Tehran during and after the 12-day war left between 3,000 and 4,000 Iranian passports stuck in diplomatic missions, stranding visa applicants, Iranian officials said earlier this month.
Omid Mohammad-Alikhan, a member of Iran’s Association of Travel Agencies, told state news agency IRNA that with some embassies halting tourist visa issuance, between 40,000 and 50,000 people remain in limbo.
The disruption has hit hardest those needing to travel on fixed dates, such as students who must arrive for the start of the academic year and athletes travelling to competitions or training camps.
Iran currently faces a deadline from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom to reach a deal with world powers on its disputed nuclear program by the end of August or face the return of UN sanctions through the so-called "snapback" mechanism.
Iran's foreign minister said on Wednesday that the UN sanctions could return, but that Tehran was working with Russia and China to prepare for such a scenario.
