US embassies urge citizens to consider departing Middle East amid Iran tensions

US embassies across the Middle East, including in Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, have reposted security alerts advising American nationals to consider departing the region due to potential "unexpected escalation" with Iran. The State Department warned that US diplomatic facilities and interests overseas could be targeted by Iran and groups supportive of Iran.

This comes amid US media reports that President Donald Trump may be planning new strikes on Iran over the weekend. Tehran has accused the US of escalating tensions, stating that any regional state cooperating with Washington would be "engulfed by the flames of war". The State Department advised Americans in the region to exercise caution, be prepared for travel disruptions, and consider departing should escalation occur.

The US military stated it had completed a "heavy wave" of strikes against Iran in retaliation for recent ballistic missile attacks. US Central Command said it hit "dozens" of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets. Iranian state media reported three people were killed in the US strikes. Washington and Tehran have engaged in escalating strikes and counter-strikes since a ceasefire fell apart in June, with the US blockading Iranian ports and bombing Iranian sites, while Iran has fired missiles and drones at US assets and targeted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.