Seoul, July 4 (IANS) Ten more South Koreans and their Iranian family members have evacuated Iran since Iran and Israel agreed to a ceasefire following an intense armed conflict, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
One South Korean and two Iranians departed Tehran between Wednesday and Thursday via a land route and safely arrived in Turkmenistan, the ministry said in a release.
Separately, seven South Korean citizens flew out of Iran, transiting through Oman and Dubai, and arrived home on Friday, Yonhap news agency reported.
A total of 66 South Koreans have left Iran since the Iran-Israel conflict began with Israel’s airstrikes on Iran last month, the ministry said.
Earlier on June 24, a total of 150 South Korean nationals and their family members evacuated Iran and Israel amid the escalating armed conflict between the two Middle Eastern nations.
The government also provided support, including transportation and consular assistance, to help 56 people escape Iran to Turkmenistan, and 26 others to Jordan.
Earlier on June 19, 20 South Korean nationals and their family members had evacuated Iran via a land route and arrived safely in Turkmenistan.
Eighteen South Koreans and two Iranian family members crossed the border into the Central Asian country by transportation provided by the South Korean government and arrived in the capital, Ashgabat.
The eastern border land route chosen by the government is about 1,200 kilometres, and it generally takes around 16 hours to travel by bus without breaks.
A rapid response team from Seoul was in Turkmenistan to assist with the evacuation efforts.
On June 13, Israel launched sustained airstrikes on multiple Iranian sites, including nuclear and military facilities.
Top military figures, including Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Mohammad Bagheri and Chief Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Hossein Salami, and prominent nuclear scientists, were reportedly killed.
On June 24, US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Iran have reached a formal agreement to implement a complete and total ceasefire, marking what he called the end of the “12-Day War.”
–IANS
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