Spain reopens its embassy in Tehran, and Israel calls it an “eternal disgrace”

Eduardo González Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares has ordered the reopening of the Spanish Embassy in Tehran and the return of Ambassador Antonio Sánchez-Benedito, who was evacuated along with the rest of the staff on March 7, “during this time when a glimmer of hope for peace has emerged” with the ceasefire between the United States and Iran. The announcement was met with a strong response from his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa’ar: “Spain is reopening its embassy in Tehran. An eternal disgrace.” “During these two weeks of ceasefire, Spain’s foreign policy has three clear objectives: first, the bombing of Iran must cease, and this ceasefire must also include Lebanon; second, Iran’s attacks on Gulf countries must stop, as well as attacks by non-state groups in the region; and third, the Strait of Hormuz must be opened for free and safe passage for all, without any distinction,” Albares stated this Thursday, April 9, during his appearance before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Congress to report, among other points, on Spain’s position regarding the current situation in the Middle East. “We cannot renounce peace, we cannot resign ourselves to the Middle East being a permanently open war; it is unjust for the region, it is a danger to everyone, and, as we are already seeing, it destabilizes and has consequences for all of humanity,” he warned. “The war in the Middle East, as Spaniards know perfectly well, is not a distant war. The consequences are painfully close to home for them,” and therefore, “once again, this Government has demonstrated its ability to rise to the occasion by protecting Spaniards and defending the values of Spanish society,” he affirmed. According to Albares, “the excellent and professional Spanish Foreign Service has also once again risen to the occasion.” “Since the beginning of the war, our embassies and consulates in the countries of the region, as well as the Consular Emergency Unit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Headquarters, have been fully mobilized to monitor the evolving situation and protect Spaniards residing there.” “We have coordinated the largest evacuation operation in history: more than 13,000 Spaniards have returned to Spain since February 28, and the successful evacuation of the Spanish Embassy in Tehran, which had to close temporarily due to obvious security concerns,” he recalled. “I announce that today I have instructed our ambassador in Tehran to return during this time when hope for peace is emerging, and to reopen our Embassy in Tehran,” he added. Following Albares's announcement, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar wrote on the social network X that “the Iranian terror regime is resuming the execution of its citizens, protesters and political dissidents. Spain is reopening its embassy in Tehran. Hand in hand. With no shame. An eternal disgrace.” Antonio Sánchez-Benedito was evacuated along with the rest of the embassy staff on March 7, just one week after the outbreak of the armed conflict, which began with the US-Israeli offensive on February 28 against Iran, including the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and escalated with retaliatory attacks by the Islamic Republic against nearly fifteen countries in the region. The evacuation took place by land across the border with Azerbaijan. The United States and Iran have declared a two-week ceasefire after more than a month of fighting and just before President Donald Trump's ultimatum to the Islamic Republic expired. The agreement includes the temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. However, the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu has not suspended its military operations in Lebanon, which are not part of this ceasefire agreement. In this regard, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez posted on social media that, “Just today, Netanyahu launched his harshest attack against Lebanon since the offensive began. His contempt for life and international law is intolerable.” “It is time to speak plainly,” he continued. “Lebanon must be part of the ceasefire, the international community must condemn this latest violation of international law, the European Union must suspend its Association Agreement with Israel, and there must be no impunity for these criminal acts,” he concluded.

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