Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has revealed that the first batch of Ghanaians in Iran have been evacuated to Turkey successfully.

The minister made this known after he met H.E. Roey Gilad of Israel on Tuesday and H.E. Ali Ghomshi of Iran on Wednesday.

Earlier this week, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa announced the immediate evacuation of Ghanaians living in Iran amid the escalating conflict with Israel.

According to Mr Ablakwa, the evacuation through land borders covers all Ghanaian diplomats, students, professionals, and other compatriots.

Iran and Israel exchanged missiles during Saturday night and early on Sunday, marking the third consecutive day of attacks between the two countries after Israel initially attacked Iran on Friday morning.

A major hospital in Israel’s south has sustained “extensive damage” from a wave of Iranian missiles, according to officials. Iran said it targeted a nearby technology park it claims was used by the Israeli military. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned his military will “strike all the nuclear facilities” in Iran, according to reports by CNN.

In his recent post, the sector minister noted that "our fellow nationals living in Israel will be evacuated shortly."

Ghanaians in Israel have been advised to maintain close communication with the country's consular department.

Mr Ablakwa invited the ambassadors of Israel and Iran to his office for separate meetings.

The meetings afforded him the opportunity to convey the Mahama Administration’s emergency evacuation strategy for Ghanaians living in their countries with the two ambassadors for onward communication to their governments to facilitate border access approvals.

In the meeting with the Israeli Ambassador, the sector minister registered Ghana’s strong displeasure at H.E. Roey Gilad's recent public pronouncements questioning Ghana’s voting pattern at international organizations.

"I urged him to respect our sovereign right to make independent decisions based on our longstanding globally acclaimed foreign policy principles anchored on Ghana’s national interest as espoused by the 1992 Constitution, pacifist approach to peace building, non-alignment, respect for the UN Charter, adherence to the rule-based international order, belief in multilateralism and strict compliance with international law," the minister said.

"These cherished principles will continue to guide Ghana’s foreign policy imperatives within all international organizations, particularly at this defining moment when Ghana is serving on the UN Human Rights Council and chairing the governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency," he added.

Israel earlier urged Ghana to reconsider its neutral position after the country abstained from voting in support of or against charges brought against Iran for violating its nuclear non-proliferation obligations.

The voting took place on Thursday, June 12, 2025, during a closed-door meeting of the 35-member Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which is currently being chaired by Ghana. The session was held at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria.

The vote, which was the first of its kind in nearly 20 years, saw the 35-member IAEA Board formally declare that Iran is in breach of its nuclear non-proliferation obligations.

The resolution was supported by 19 countries, opposed by three — Russia, China, and Burkina Faso — while 11 nations, including Ghana, abstained.

The resolution, submitted by the United States, Britain, France and Germany, concluded that Iran had failed to provide the IAEA with full and timely cooperation since 2019 concerning undeclared nuclear material and activities.

It marks a significant escalation in the agency’s standoff with Tehran.

In what Israel describes as a friendly and respectful request, the Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, Roey Gilad during a media engagement in Accra, though acknowledging the legitimacy of Ghana’s abstinence due to its chairmanship position called on government to re-evaluate its longstanding non-aligned foreign policy position in critical global matters, particularly where international peace and security are concerned.

Mr Ablakwa re-echoed Ghana’s demand for both countries to cease fire and opt for a peaceful diplomatic resolution of their concerns.

Amid the conflict, the government has declared the immediate closure of the embassy in Tehran.

In a post on Facebook, the sector minister noted that the decision has been taken to "guarantee the safety of our embassy staff."

The government has again instructed that embassy operations in Tel Aviv be reduced to the barest minimum.