US citizens in Middle East urged to leave ahead of ‘escalation’ in Iran war
US embassies in capitals across the Middle East have warned their citizens to beware of “unforeseen escalation” in the regional conflict and urged them to be ready to leave.
The warning, posted online by US embassies in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, came a day after US President Donald Trump threatened to hit Iran “very hard”.
Iran and the United States have been at war since February 28. A period of calm followed a ceasefire, though that collapsed with a return of strikes.
With no end in sight, the war has for months upended the lives of people across the Middle East and rattled global energy markets.
The security alert said: “Americans in the region should consider departing or be prepared to depart should there be escalation.”
The messages urged citizens to check flight details and to follow safety advice from local authorities.
It added: “Americans currently in the Middle East should exercise caution and heightened vigilance and should be prepared for flight cancellations, periodic airspace closures, and potential travel disruptions.”
US citizens in Jordan were told not to visit military bases in the country, which have recently come under Iranian missile attack, and in Israel they were urged to seek the location of the nearest bomb shelter.
A post on the US Embassy Jerusalem site said: “The Iranian regime is unpredictable, as seen by its recent decisions to attack areas in the region without warning or provocations as well as to expand attacks to areas not previously targeted [such as Egypt].”
The US embassy in Beirut said the mission remained on “ordered departure status”, meaning that family members and non-essential US government personnel were still relocated outside of Lebanon.
Iran’s military on Saturday accused Washington of “escalating tensions” in the region.
Ali Abdollahi, head of Iran’s military central command, said in statement read on state television: “Any country serving as defensive shield for criminal and aggressive America will be engulfed by the flames of war.”
Mohammad Mokhber, adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, also warned against any attacks on Iranian infrastructure.
He said: “You calculate through military equations, but we respond with the logic of history.
“Attacking Iran’s infrastructure directly awakens the fault lines on which 250 years of your hegemonic architecture have been built.”
Iran and the US resumed overnight exchanges of fire last month after a days-long lull in fighting, although there were no reported strikes overnight Friday to Saturday.
Iran has effectively maintained control over navigation through the Strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of the war on February 28, requiring vessels to obtain permission and pay transit fees before using the waterway.
Maritime trade tracking firm Kpler said on Friday that traffic through the Hormuz strait has dropped “sharply”.
It added: “With US and Iranian public positions still at odds, operators are closely monitoring traffic volumes, routing behaviour and any diplomatic developments that could reshape risk across regional shipping lanes in the days ahead.”
- AFP
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