130,000 British nationals registered presence in Middle East – Cooper

WorldPolitics
3 Mar 2026 • 8:42 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said 130,000 British nationals have registered their presence in the Middle East.

A Government charter flight is set to take off from Muscat, Oman, “in the coming days” she also told the Commons.

The conflict between Iran and the US and its allies has caused widespread airspace closures in the Middle East, sparking major disruption to flights.

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Ms Cooper told MPs it is “a very fast-moving situation” with “unprecedented numbers of British nationals in the region”.

She added: “As of this morning, 130,000 British nationals have now signed up to the Register Your Presence Programme, which is vital to the Foreign Office’s ability to know where people are and to provide updates and advice.

“Members will know that in many of these countries, the airspace is still closed, but I am in close contact with my counterparts across the region, speaking again yesterday with the UAE on the excellent support that they are providing and some of the departures that they are now securing as this becomes viable.

“We are also working with airlines on increasing capacity out of Muscat for British nationals, with priority for vulnerable nationals, and a Government charter flight will fly from Muscat in the coming days, prioritising vulnerable nationals, but British nationals in Oman must wait to be contacted by the foreign office regarding these options, and we will continue to work 24/7 on supporting British nationals in the region.”