Government Communications Department
23.6.2025
Press release
In their meeting on Monday 23 June, the President of the Republic and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discussed the current situation in the Middle East.
The strikes by the United States on Iran’s nuclear programme on Sunday 22 June were exceptional in their scale. The cycle of attacks and counter-attacks must be broken in order to prevent the situation from escalating. More diplomacy and international dialogue are needed in the Middle East. It is important that Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon and that it remains a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Iran’s nuclear programme must be restricted and monitored through negotiations. Finland emphasises the importance of finding a solution that is in line with international law. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will continue to play a central role in monitoring Iran’s nuclear programme and nuclear safety. Finland’s missions in the region will remain operational for the time being. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs recommends avoiding all travel to Iran, Iraq and Israel.
The President and the Ministerial Committee also received an update on Finland’s preparations for the NATO Summit in The Hague on 24–25 June. In addition, the President and the Ministerial Committee discussed Russia’s continuing attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
Inquiries: Anna-Kaisa Heikkinen, Director General, tel. +358 295 350 739 and Jussi Tanner, Director General of Consular Services, tel. +358 295 350 246, Ministry for Foreign Affairs; Janne Kuusela, Director General, tel. +358 295 140 300, Ministry of Defence
The email addresses of the Finnish Government are in the format firstname.lastname@gov.fi.
