In his capacity as the Director of the Joint Management and Monitoring Center for the Situation in the Middle East, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Pipat Ratchakitprakarn on 6 March 2026 at 5:00 p.m. chaired an urgent meeting to monitor and assess the tense situation in the Middle East.

This led to a joint press briefing on the progress by three main agencies, namely the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Energy, and the Royal Thai Police, to clarify the Government's response measures in all dimensions.

Regarding the current situation in the Middle East, it remains sensitive, with Israel, the United States, and Iran continuing to attack one another continuously. The clashes have expanded to neighboring countries, with reports that Azerbaijan was hit by airstrikes resulting in civilian injuries and infrastructure damage, to which the Azerbaijani government announced its readiness to retaliate. Currently, several countries still have their airspace closed, including the UAE, Israel, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Oman remain open and have become hubs for aerial evacuation. At present, there are no reports of Thai nationals being injured or killed, but authorities urge Thais to consider leaving risk areas as soon as possible.

Regarding the progress in Iran, the number of Thais who prefer to return has increased to 125 people. Their evacuation will be divided into two rounds by land, heading to Van, Turkey: 69 people on 7 March, and 56 people on 10 March. The Royal Thai Embassy in Ankara will open a temporary operations center in Van starting tomorrow (7 March) to facilitate this. Furthermore, regarding the UAE, Etihad Airways, Emirates, and Air Arabia have begun to open some flight routes to bring stranded people back. The UAE authorities have also announced an exemption of overstay fines for affected individuals starting from 28 February onwards.

In terms of preparedness to handle economic impacts, the Ministry of Energy confirms that Thailand currently has sufficient oil reserves for 95 days of use, an increase from the previous 60 days. There is a Prime Ministerial order for oil traders to gradually increase their legal reserve proportion from 1% to 3%. This includes controlling oil exports, exempting only Lao PDR and Myanmar to maintain economic relations. Officials have already inspected service stations to prevent oil hoarding caused by public panic.

Regarding measures to reduce the cost-of-living burden, the Government has capped the price of diesel for 15 days, starting from 3 March. If the situation prolongs until May, alternative energy sources, such as Biodiesel (B100) blending, or importing cheaper Euro 4 standard refined oil, will be considered to help reduce costs. As for electricity security, the Ministry of Energy is expediting the procurement of additional LNG, increasing gas production in the Gulf of Thailand, and increasing the proportion of electricity generation from renewable energy, biomass, and coal to prevent power outages in the household and industrial sectors.

In the dimension of internal security and safety, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has ordered all units to be ready for 24-hour operations. Police General Kittirat Phanphet, Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, has ordered an escalation of security measures for individuals, important locations, embassies, and consulates, assigning Police General Samran Nuanma, Deputy Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, to oversee the overall operations. The Royal Thai Police is expediting intelligence gathering on aliens who might cause incidents or commit illegal acts affecting national security, especially those from watchlist countries. They are also increasing strictness in setting up checkpoints along natural passages and border lines, and instructing the Immigration Bureau to increase strictness in considering extensions of stay for aliens in Thailand to prevent infiltration for illegal activities. Additionally, the Royal Thai Police Operations Center will closely monitor and surveil social media information 24 hours a day to prevent fake news that could cause fear or impact international relations.