At the press briefing of the Joint Management and Monitoring Center for the Situation in the Middle East on 11 March 2026, at 11.05 a.m., Acting Director-General of the Department of Information and Deputy Spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Panidone Pachimsawat opened the briefing with an update on recent developments in the Middle East.

The situation in the region remains volatile and uncertain in certain countries which came under heavy attacks last night. However, the level of violence has decreased in some countries that are not direct parties to the conflict, particularly the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. This has enabled the resumption of an increasing number of flights, including special and commercial flights, to operate out of those countries. The evacuation of Thai nationals from high-risk areas, which remains the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' main priority, has also made significant progress. To date, there have been no reports of Thai nationals injured or killed.

Regarding assistance to affected Thai nationals, the first two groups of Thai nationals evacuated from Iran have safely returned to Thailand. In addition, the second group of 68 Thai nationals will return to Thailand in two batches. The first batch will arrive in Thailand tomorrow morning (12 March 2026), while the second batch will arrive the following morning (13 March 2026). The Department of Consular Affairs, together with the Royal Thai Embassies in Tehran and Ankara, continue to coordinate closely to facilitate their return to Thailand.

In Iraq, another 14 Thai nationals are in the process of being evacuated, with coordination by the Royal Thai Embassy in Amman, and will be brought to the Evacuation Operations Center in Van, Türkiye, where arrangements will be made for their onward travel back to Thailand.

In the United Arab Emirates, Etihad Airways has announced the resumption of flights to Bangkok and Phuket, operating one daily flight on each route through 12 March 2026. The airline also plans to resume services to Chiang Mai and Krabi, subject to the improvement of the situation. The Royal Thai Embassy in the UAE and the Consulate-General in Dubai have continued to closely coordinate with Thai nationals who wish to travel back.

In Qatar, the Royal Thai Embassy in Doha has confirmed that all 24 stranded Thai nationals will travel on a Qatar Airways flight and will arrive in Bangkok tonight. Other Thai nationals in Qatar may also book their tickets directly or book flights to Thailand via other available transit points.

Meanwhile, the Royal Thai Embassies and Consulates-General in other countries within the region continue to assist Thai nationals wishing to return to Thailand, including coordinating with airlines in locations where flights remain operational. So far, a total of 381 Thai nationals have safely returned to Thailand. The Government remains firmly committed to assisting Thai nationals in the Middle East who have been affected by the situation, in order to ensure that they are able to safely leave risky areas as soon as possible.