Austria suspends all consular services in Iran until 'return to normalcy'
The Austrian Embassy in Iran has suspended all consular services citing an “insurmountable obstacle” but giving no further details or timeline for reopening.
The Austrian Embassy in Iran has suspended all consular services citing an “insurmountable obstacle” but giving no further details or timeline for reopening.
According to the embassy’s official website, all consular services are suspended until further notice, which means that even previously submitted applications cannot be processed.
The announcement also said that existing appointments for residence and settlement services are canceled until the end of September, advising applicants to “book new appointments as soon as the situation has returned to normal.”
No further details were provided about what prompted the decision.
The Austrian foreign ministry told Iran International it was "working to re-establish the conditions which would allow us to resume consular services at the Embassy in Tehran."
However, it said "there is no concrete indication when consular services will resume."
Several embassies and consulates in Iran suspended services in June during the 12-day war with Israel.
The Czech Embassy suspended its services in June and has not yet resumed its operations, though it announced plans to gradually restart services in September.
The German Embassy, citing security concerns, relocated some consular staff to other countries in the region, but continues to provide services in Iran.
Embassies of Portugal, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom also suspended services in June but have since resumed full operations.
The closure of foreign embassies in Tehran during and after the 12-day war left between 3,000 and 4,000 Iranian passports stuck in diplomatic missions, stranding visa applicants, Iranian officials said earlier this month.
Omid Mohammad-Alikhan, a member of Iran’s Association of Travel Agencies, told state news agency IRNA that with some embassies halting tourist visa issuance, between 40,000 and 50,000 people remain in limbo.
The disruption has hit hardest those needing to travel on fixed dates, such as students who must arrive for the start of the academic year and athletes travelling to competitions or training camps.
Iran currently faces a deadline from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom to reach a deal with world powers on its disputed nuclear program by the end of August or face the return of UN sanctions through the so-called "snapback" mechanism.
Iran's foreign minister said on Wednesday that the UN sanctions could return, but that Tehran was working with Russia and China to prepare for such a scenario.
The exercises, dubbed Sustainable Power 1404, featured the simultaneous use of Nasir, Qadir, and Ghader anti-ship cruise missiles launched from coastal batteries and warships, including the Genaveh missile boat and the Sabalan destroyer.
“These missiles, with different ranges, successfully hit their designated targets at sea,” the semi-official Tasnim news agency said. Officials described the systems as radar-evading, high-precision and designed to counter both naval and coastal targets.
The drills took place around a month after the Iran-Russia drill under the name Casarex 2025, which took place in Iran's northern waters -- the Caspian Sea.
Marking National Defense Industry Day, Iran’s Defense Ministry said the country had advanced “from the peak of dependence on foreigners to the heights of self-sufficiency and power” in the missile, weapons and space sectors.
It warned that “any miscalculation in the region will be met with a very strong response from Iran’s powerful armed forces.”
The ministry said the 12-day war in June had demonstrated the effectiveness of Iranian weaponry, adding that Tehran’s defense industry will continue to expand without a moment of hesitation.
Army Navy vs Guard Navy
Iran maintains two distinct naval forces under separate command structures: the conventional Islamic Republic of Iran Navy -- a force within the traditional army --and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy.
While both are tasked with defending Iranian interests at sea, their missions, capabilities and areas of operation differ, according to a Defense News analysis.
“The IRGC Navy and the Iranian Navy have two separate command structures. While some of their responsibilities overlap, the primary difference is the methods and strategies of operation,” analyst Sina Azodi told Defense News.
He added that the IRGC Navy emphasizes asymmetric operations, relying on fast boats, missile-equipped vessels and hit-and-run tactics, while the traditional Navy deploys larger platforms such as frigates, corvettes and submarines.
According to Mohamed al-Kenany, head of the military studies unit at the Cairo-based Arab Forum for Analyzing Iranian Policies, another key distinction is geography.
Iran’s navy patrols the Gulf of Oman, the Indian Ocean and the Caspian Sea, while the Revolutionary Guard controls the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, where it has seized Western vessels and shadowed US warships during past tensions.
Al-Kenany added that the IRGC’s use of naval mines and swarms of small craft makes its anti-access strategy in the Persian Gulf highly effective, while the conventional Navy remains constrained by aging 1970s-era frigates and corvettes and sanctions that block modernization.
Since 1979, the United States has imposed sanctions on Iran that restrict access to advanced military technology, forcing Tehran to rely on indigenous development and adaptations of older systems.
Top commanders call for modernization
Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi said Iran’s only guarantee of security was to continually upgrade its systems.
“The only way to shield the country from threats is to enhance deterrence and modernize our ground, naval, aerospace, air defense, cyber and electronic warfare capabilities,” he said in a message to Defense Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh.
Nasirzadeh himself told reporters on Wednesday that Iran had developed a new generation of missiles with greater capabilities than those used in the June conflict.
“The missiles we used in the 12-day war were built several years ago. Today we possess missiles with far better capabilities, and if the Zionist enemy embarks on another adventure, we will certainly use them,” he said.
He added that Israel’s missile-defense systems, including the US-made THAAD, Patriot, Arrow and Iron Dome, had proven ineffective. “In the early days, about 40% of our missiles were intercepted, but by the end of the war, 90% were striking their targets,” he said.
'War is not over'
Earlier in the week, Senior Revolutionary Guards general Yahya Rahim Safavi, now top adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, dismissed the June ceasefire as temporary.
“We are not in a ceasefire, we are in a stage of war. No protocol, regulation, or agreement has been written between us and the US or Israel. I think another war may happen, and after that, there may be no more wars,” he said.
Safavi argued that Iran must continue to expand its diplomatic, cyber, missile and drone capabilities. “In the system of nature, the weak are trampled. Therefore, Iran must also become strong,” he said.
Israel vows readiness
Israel’s military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said earlier this month the June campaign had been a preemptive strike to eliminate an “emerging existential threat” from Iran.
“If necessary, we will know how to act again with precision, intensity and lethality,” he said.
Israel launched surprise strikes on June 13 that killed senior Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists and damaged nuclear and air defense sites. Iran says 1,062 people were killed, including 786 military personnel and 276 civilians.
Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks that killed 31 civilians and one off-duty soldier in Israel. The conflict ended with a US-brokered ceasefire on June 24.
Both Tehran and Tel Aviv claimed victory in June, but the rhetoric since then has underscored the fragile truce and the risk of a renewed confrontation in the region.
