Judith Collins joins Ryan Bridge to talk about Iran, extremism and political polls. Video / Ryan Bridge TODAY
Wealthy Kiwis with private planes are offering to fly the thousands of New Zealanders stuck in the Middle East to safety amid the escalating conflict between Iran, the United States and Israel.
As the conflict enters its sixth day, fighting has spread to 14 countries throughout the Middle East, affectingregional travel hubs such as the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, where the US has military bases.
Several European powers, including the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain, have also deployed or pledged troops to the region for defensive measures.
More than 3000 New Zealanders have registered as being in the region through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s SafeTravel site. They include 1893 in the UAE, 411 in Qatar and 401 in Saudi Arabia, although the number is likely higher.
Speaking on Ryan Bridge TODAY, Peters said Government officials had been talking to “a lot of countries, and Americans included”, noting that private companies with vested interests in New Zealand were also offering assistance.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters confirmed private jet owners had offered to charter rescue flights for New Zealanders stuck in the region. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
“They say, ‘Look, if we can help, give us a call,’ which is very generous of them and very patriotic of them, actually.
“These are New Zealand interests that have got private interests there.”
Peters confirmed New Zealanders with private planes had offered to charter flights for trapped civilians, but when pressed on what groups had been in touch, he said: “To tell you the truth, until we take it up, it should be confidential.”
Defence Minister Judith Collins said the Defence Force could fit just over 80 people on each flight, so shuttling civilians to a nearby safe location and returning to pick up more was the most pragmatic option available.
“We’re not going to be sending in our Hercules and our people, more importantly, into areas where they are going to get into more danger than they would be if they stayed on the ground,“ she told Ryan Bridge TODAY.
There had been little communication with the Iranian Embassy in New Zealand beyond a complaint raised when Peters announced travel bans on 40 individuals, including Iranian ministers, accused of “perpetrating human rights abuses” in their country.
A rally in Tehran, Iran, on March 1 after state TV confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Photo / Getty Images
However, Peters said the MFAT would keep “talking to anyone and everyone” amid the conflict.
“It’s the reason why we keep embassies open.
“We don’t shut them down like so many people demand we do, because we think that talk, talk, talk and jaw, jaw, jaw is better than war.”
Peters said it was difficult to make a judgment on what a peaceful resolution would look like at this stage, but argued that events in the Middle East were the “result of condonation and allowing a country like Iran to get away with it for so long”.
“They’ve got away with it because everybody says, well, you know, we’ve got to uphold the rule of law.
“The consequence of that, of course, is that one day, just like the rule of law in the streets of your country ... someone has to enforce the rule of law for it to be meaningful and progressive.”
