In mid-January, the Balkan state of Serbia began advising its citizens to leave Iran and refrain from traveling there due to a violent crackdown by governmental authorities against mass protest movements. The Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on its website late Friday, advising that, given the deteriorating security situation, Serbian citizens should not travel to Iran in the near future.

The statement emphasized the urgency of the matter, urging all Serbians currently in the country to depart as soon as possible. This alert reflects the increasing pressures faced by Iranians amid ongoing protests and governmental responses that have reportedly become violent. In parallel, Sweden's Foreign Minister Maria Stenergard also called for her citizens to leave Iran, highlighting widespread concern among European nations regarding safety in the region.

As the Iranian government has expressed hope for a swift agreement with the United States regarding its nuclear program—a long-standing point of contention—it remains to be seen how international relations and internal unrest will influence the safety of foreign nationals, particularly as the potential for conflict rises. Amid discussions of military options by President Donald Trump, the urgency of citizens' departures from Iran underscores the fragile state of security in the country and the implications for global diplomatic relations.