The State Department is urging U.S. citizens to leave over a dozen countries across the Middle East as fighting in and around Iran intensifies and American embassies and consulates come under siege.
In a security update posted on Monday, the department said American citizens should depart Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
Americans should “depart now via commercial means due to serious safety risks,” officials said. Phone numbers were provided for those who need assistance arranging travel from the region.
Many commercial flights to, from, and within the Middle East have been canceled since Saturday, when the U.S. and Israel began their joint offensive against Iran. In many of the countries named by the State Department, civilian airspace is closed, and airports are effectively shut down.
As of Tuesday, only Egypt – geographically removed from the conflict – is seeing flight traffic at or near normal levels. Saudi Arabia’s airspace remains open, but with significant disruptions and rerouting after missile and drone attacks from the Iranian military. Oman has not officially closed its airspace, but its main carrier, Oman Air, has canceled numerous flights to and from Muscat. Dubai International Airport, Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum, and Zayed International Airport, all in the UAE, resumed limited operations on Monday evening.
According to a source cited by CBS News, around one million Americans are believed to be in the region. Many Western energy, infrastructure, technology, and finance firms have offices in the Arab Gulf, particularly in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, which were assumed until recently to be largely protected from the region’s geopolitical instability.
The new and unprecedented warning from the State Department could be a response to violence and threats against American diplomatic missions in the Middle East.
On Sunday, demonstrators attempted to overrun a U.S. consulate in Pakistan, and on Monday Iranian drones hit the U.S. embassy in Riyadh. U.S. embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have been temporarily shut down, and the State Department is in the process of evacuating diplomats.
The alert also follows warnings from President Donald Trump that the U.S. will rapidly escalate bombing in Iran this week. On Monday evening, the U.S. and Israel attacked the compound of the group tasked with electing Iran’s next leader following the killing of Ali Khamenei on Saturday.
Other Western countries have also warned citizens to avoid or evacuate the region.
Canada is urging travelers to leave the UAE and avoid Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, and Qatar. The U.K. said it is setting up charter flights from Oman and working with airline leaders to arrange transportation from other at-risk countries. Australia has set up an online portal to help passport holders depart Israel, Iran, Qatar, and the UAE.
