Little sustained relief is in sight, particularly after Iran’s retaliatory strikes on the Gulf states continued. Despite being more than 14,000km away, New Zealand has long-standing links with the Middle East, especially in the Gulf region. Wellington has maintained an embassy in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, since 1984. New Zealand’s embassy in Tehran is even older, having opened in 1975 as one of New Zealand’s first two diplomatic missions in the Middle East. While Wellington may be keen to concentrate its efforts on the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East is once again topping New Zealand’s foreign policy agenda.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 17, 2026 16:37 UTC