Key facts
- Iran's military warned that Middle Eastern nations would be considered complicit if the US resumes major strikes on Iran from American bases.
- The US State Department restricted travel for American government employees to the Saudi cities of Taif and Yanbu, citing the security situation.
- Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for strikes in Riyadh and on an oil facility in Yanbu.
- The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps warned that US bases and interests in the region would become targets if an attack occurs.
- Iran accused some Gulf leaders of 'double dealing' by allegedly giving a green light to US attacks.
Governments across the Middle East are bracing for an escalation of violence after Iran claimed it had received intelligence that the US was preparing for a renewed bombing campaign against the Islamic Republic. The US State Department has urged citizens in the Middle East to exercise caution due to a complex security environment and potential for escalation.
President Trump cut short a weekend visit to the Camp David presidential retreat on Sunday, with reports indicating he was considering options including military action against Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps warned that if an attack takes place, "all US bases and interests in the region will become targets of continuous, effective and painful attacks without any limitations or considerations." Iran's leaders also pledged some reprisals could extend as far as US naval forces in the Indian Ocean and accused some Gulf leaders of "double dealing" by allegedly giving a green light to US attacks.
The heightened tensions appear to be prompted by recent attacks on Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh and the port of Yanbu by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. Riyadh stated it intercepted the missiles, but local photographs showed smoke pouring from an Aramco facility. The US views the Houthis as a proxy Iranian force, a claim Iran denies. President Trump's commitment to Middle East allies has been questioned after he reportedly spurned a call for direct US military help from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman following the Houthis' capture of strategic ports along Yemen’s west coast, which gave them control of the Bab al-Mandab strait.