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Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba has said that the government is working with priority for the safety of Nepalis in areas affected by the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, while taking the potential impacts seriously. 

Responding to queries raised by lawmakers during the discussion on the appropriation bill in today's House of Representatives meeting, she said, "The ministry issued travel-related information with detailed contact details on June 15, requesting Nepalis currently in Israel and Iran to exercise maximum caution from a safety perspective."

Minister Rana said that the Nepali ambassadors in the respective countries have been instructed to coordinate for the safety of Nepali citizens. 

Mentioning that an 'online portal' was launched on June 17 to collect details of Nepali citizens, she informed that 885 individuals have registered their information on the portal so far and the registration process is increasing. 

The Foreign Affairs Minister stated, "On June 18, all Nepali missions in the Gulf have been instructed to facilitate the process of providing online visas and other assistance for Nepalis who wish to travel to safe locations or neighboring countries, in light of the current suspension of air routes in those countries."

In this context, she mentioned that the Jordanian government documented on June 19, 2025 stated the need to provide necessary assistance to foreign nationals coming from Israel to their borders. 

The minister  also stated that the Nepali Embassy  has communicated with ILO and IOM regarding facilitation on this matter. 

Minister Rana informed the Parliament that a request was made to the Indian government to rescue 16 Nepalis in Iran, and with the help of the Indian embassy in Iran, the process to bring back 11 of them to Nepal has begun. 

The remaining five are detained due to immigration laws, and the ministry is working through the Nepali Embassy in Doha to complete the paperwork for their return. 

She also mentioned that efforts are underway for the prompt rescue and repatriation from Israel and Iran through coordination with the relevant bodies and the formation of a rapid response group. 

Foreign Minister Rana stated that the Nepal government has been continuously pursuing diplomatic efforts at both bilateral and multilateral levels for the release of Bipin Joshi since the beginning.

The minister added that Nepal has pursued economic diplomacy as one of the major tools of its foreign policy and its missions abroad are being encouraged to engage in trade, foreign investment, tourism, and technology provision. 

Likewise, she said that efforts are underway from the diplomatic missions to promote cultural and tourism diplomacy, adding that the Ministry is undertaking necessary works for the sustainability of Nepal's graduation from the category of the least developed country to a middle- income developing country. 

Nepal is scheduled to observe its graduation from the LDC to the developing nation in 2026.  

She made it clear before the session that the appointment of ambassadors is taking place as per the existing rules and in the deputation of labor attachés.

The minister said that  the number of missions and human resources for foreign services has been increased following the Ministry's Organisation and Management Survey. 

In addition to these, digital archiving and data management are among the priorities of the Ministry.   

The total budget allocation to the Ministry in the upcoming fiscal year has slightly increased compared to the previous year. However, the budget for other headings except the capital expenditures has decreased. 

Israel briefly reopened its airspace on Sunday and is expanding flight operations on Monday, aiming to help tens of thousands of travellers stranded by widespread cancellations across the Middle East after the U.S. attacked Iran, Reuters reported.

An organisation that monitors flight risks warned on Sunday that U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear sites could heighten the threat to American operators in the region.

With Russian and Ukrainian airspace also closed due to war, the Middle East has become a more important route for flights between Europe and Asia, but flight tracking website FlightRadar24 showed empty space over Iran, Iraq, Syria and Israel. Airlines have chosen routings such as north via the Caspian Sea or south via Egypt and Saudi Arabia, even if these mean higher fuel and crew costs and longer flight times, according to Reuters.

Iran said on Monday that the U.S. attack on its nuclear sites expanded the range of legitimate targets for its armed forces and called U.S. President Donald Trump a "gambler" for joining Israel's military campaign against the Islamic Republic, Reuters reported.

Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya central military headquarters, said the U.S. should expect heavy consequences for its actions.

"Mr Trump, the gambler, you may start this war, but we will be the ones to end it," Zolfaqari said in English at the end of a recorded video statement.

Iran and Israel traded air and missile strikes as the world braced for Tehran's response to the U.S. attack on its nuclear sites over the weekend, which Trump suggested could lead to the overthrow of the Iranian government, according to Reuters.

Iran and Israel traded air and missile strikes as the world braced on Monday for Tehran's response to the U.S. attack on its nuclear sites and U.S. President Donald Trump raised the idea of regime change in the Islamic republic, Reuters reported.

Iran vowed to defend itself on Sunday, a day after the U.S. joined Israel in the biggest Western military action against the country since its 1979 Islamic Revolution, despite calls for restraint and a return to diplomacy from around the world.

Commercial satellite imagery indicated the U.S. attack on Saturday on Iran’s subterranean Fordow nuclear plant severely damaged or destroyed the deeply buried site and the uranium-enriching centrifuges it housed, but the status of the site remained unconfirmed, experts said, according to Reuters.

In his latest social media comments on the U.S. strikes, Trump said "Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran."