The US Department of State on Monday urged American citizens to leave more than a dozen Middle East countries immediately, including Israel and Iran, citing growing security concerns following joint US-Israeli strikes against Iran.
Mora Namdar, the State Department’s assistant secretary for consular affairs, said US citizens should depart using available commercial transportation “due to safety risks.”
The advisory follows recent updates to travel warnings across the region. Monday’s directive applies to Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Earlier on Monday, the US Embassy in Amman, Jordan, announced that its personnel had left the premises “due to a threat.”
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A US official also confirmed that the State Department has activated an inter-agency emergency task force to coordinate the country’s response to the escalating conflict.
Tribune Online reports that the United States and Israel on Saturday launched strikes on several targets in Iran, killing many top officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Tehran responded with strikes at multiple US and Israeli sites across the region.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the conflict had initially been projected to last four to five weeks but could extend beyond that timeline.
The crisis has led to rising energy prices after Iranian officials threatened to target ships attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a major route for global oil shipments.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Energy Secretary Chris Wright are expected to announce measures aimed at easing the impact of rising energy costs, according to Washington’s top diplomat, Marco Rubio.
“We anticipated this could be an issue, and Secretary Wright and Bessent will begin to roll out those steps, starting tomorrow, to mitigate against the impact that could have,” Rubio said ahead of briefing congressional leaders about the strikes.