Speaking in an interview with VRT News the Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot (Francopsaid that the Iranian regime should never be given the opportunity to develop its own nuclear weapons. Mr Prévot was speaking in response to the US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. The Belgian Foreign Minister also called on the parties involved in the conflict to return to the negotiating table.

Mr Prévot says that there are still around 100 Belgian nationals in Iran. The Belgian Foreign Minister adds that the Foreign Ministry is trying to get in touch with all of them and has been successful in the case of around one-third of them thus far. Around half of those contacted have already left Iran. The others will be given assistance in leaving Iran if they wish to do so.

In the meantime, staff at the Belgian Embassy have been transferred from Tehran to the city of Astara, around 500 kilometres away from the Iran capital and not far from the Azeri border. In a statement the Belgian Foreign Ministry said “The safety of our citizens and our employees is our top priority."

Flemish PM: “I don’t know if this is the correct method”

Speaking on VRT television’s Sunday topical debate programme ‘De zevende dag’ the Flemish Prime Minister Matthias Diependaele (nationalist) told VRT News that he is not sure whether the Israeli and American bombings of Iran are “the right way to get rid of the Iranian regime”. Mr Diependaele added that the conflict will have a big impact also on the civilian population and that it will also have economic consequences.

The Flemish PM emphasised that nobody wants the Iranian regime to develop nuclear weapons, but he feels that it difficult to say whether the attacks were the right course of action. Nevertheless, he believes that “Europe must now finally realise that it is necessary to take its security into its own hands.”