Singapore, March 9 (ANI): Singapore's Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday said they will deploy RSAF A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft for their citizens stranded in the Middle East.

The statement said that the evacuation will take place from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia on March 10.

'In response to the urgent need of Singaporeans in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia for assisted departure to Singapore, and given the lack of feasible commercial options in the region, the Singapore Government will deploy a Republic of Singapore Air Force A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft for the assisted departure of Singaporeans from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 10 March 2026. A second flight from Saudi Arabia is being planned for 12 March 2026. The deployment of the MRTTs to Saudi Arabia serve solely to support the assisted departure operations,' the statement read.

'MFA will be reaching out to Singaporeans who have registered their interest for assisted departure from Saudi Arabia with more details,' the statement added.

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The statement comes as the Middle East remains fraught with conflicts.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has told Tehran that while it favors a diplomatic settlement to Iran's conflict with the US, continued attacks on itself and its energy sector could push Riyadh to respond in kind, four sources familiar with the matter on Saturday, as reported by The Times of Israel, citing its sources.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday and set out Riyadh's position with clarity, the sources said.

Saudi Arabia is open to any form of mediation aimed at de-escalation and a negotiated settlement, the sources quoted the minister as saying, underlining that neither Riyadh nor other Gulf states had let the US use their airspace or territory to launch airstrikes on Iran, as per The Times of Israel. (ANI)