Foreign Minister Winston Peters is calling for de-escalation as Israel and Iran trade missile attacks, leaving hundreds dead or injured. Video / Mark Mitchell
The escalating war between Israel and Iran is contributing to the most uncertain geostrategic conditions Foreign Minister Winston Peters has ever seen as he urges Kiwis to flee the “arc of danger”.
The warning is designed to reach the estimated 80 New Zealanders in Israel and another 50 inIran as the two countries trade devastating missile attacks for several days that have reportedly injured and killed hundreds.
Peters says he and foreign affairs officials are working around the clock to protect ministry and Defence Force staff on the ground but accepts New Zealand’s reach is limited.
“To say that you’re confident in the safety in a situation of exploding escalation in a war-like fashion would be absolutely premature, but we hope we’ve done the best to keep them secure.”
Peters’ sobering assessment of global affairs comes as Prime Minister Christopher Luxon prepares for a high-profile visit to China before attending the Nato leaders’ summit in The Hague.
Luxon has deemed increasing military action between Israel and Iran as “potentially catastrophic” for the Middle East and warned the “risk of miscalculation is high”.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Israel launched missiles against Iran on Friday night (local time), striking key nuclear sites, including the Natanz uranium facility in northern Iran, and plants in both Fordow and Isfahan.
Israel has maintained its attack on Iran was a pre-emptive strike, intended to dismantle a covert operation dedicated to building a nuclear bomb.
The United States had reportedly informed some allies about Israel’s attack.
Speaking to reporters from the Beehive, Peters pointed to “talk” of such an attack but said the Government wasn’t involved in those discussions.
Asked to clarify, Peters said any such discussions wouldn’t be made public presently and any information would be dissected in the “fullness of time”.
He indicated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had contacted its officials in the two countries amid the more general message for Kiwis residing in Israel and Iran to leave.
“We have done all we can to ensure their safety and security, but as for the details, we’re not prepared to disclose that for the most obvious reasons.
“This is a very potentially dangerous circumstance and if you can possibly be removed from this arc of danger, then get out of there.”
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is calling for calm in the Middle East. Photo / Michael Craig
He expressed concern at reports of nuclear advancement in Iran and how it added to instability in the region alongside the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
In his third stint as Foreign Minister, Peters acknowledged global tensions were as strained as he’s seen them, comparing the current situation to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.
“We’re working long hours than perhaps we ever have as a ministry and trying to ensure that New Zealanders, where possible, can be kept safe in circumstances of innocence.
“In my lifetime, I’ve never seen such an uncertain geostrategic circumstance as we’ve got now.”
Last week, Peters announced New Zealand would join Australia, Canada, Britain and Norway in issuing travel bans on high-profile Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir due to their actions related to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Peters described the two ministers as “using their leadership positions to actively undermine peace and security and remove prospects for a two-state solution”.
“New Zealand is a long-standing supporter of the two-state solution. Ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have severely and deliberately undermined that by personally advocating for the annexation of Palestinian land and the expansion of illegal settlements, while inciting violence and forced displacement,” he said.
In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned countries that had applied sanctions.
“These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war.
“We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organisation that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage, and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace.
“We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is. The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel.”
Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald’s Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for NZME since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.
