U.S. Urges Americans to Leave Middle East Amid Escalating Iran Conflict

The U.S. Department of State on Monday urged American citizens to immediately depart more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, citing heightened security risks following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. Mora Namdar, the department’s assistant secretary for consular affairs, advised Americans to use available commercial transportation to leave the region. Updated travel advisories now recommend against travel to Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The U.S. Embassy in Amman also announced the departure of its personnel due to a security threat, while Washington activated an inter-agency emergency task force to coordinate its response.

The warning follows a major escalation over the weekend, when U.S. and Israeli forces carried out a barrage of strikes on key Iranian targets, reportedly killing several top officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran responded with retaliatory strikes targeting multiple U.S. and Israeli sites across the region, intensifying fears of a prolonged conflict. President Donald Trump said the confrontation was initially projected to last four to five weeks but warned it could extend further as hostilities continue.

The widening conflict has sent shockwaves through global energy markets, with Iranian officials threatening to target vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil supplies. The resulting surge in oil prices has raised economic concerns worldwide. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Energy Secretary Chris Wright are expected to announce measures aimed at stabilizing energy markets, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said the administration had anticipated the potential disruption and would begin rolling out mitigation steps immediately.

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