The US State Department has released an urgent advisory for American citizens based in a number of Middle Eastern countries, citing rising security concerns tied to escalating US-Iran tensions.
Over the weekend, the US and Israel launched strikes on multiple locations in Iran as part of an operation described as ‘Operation Epic Fury’.
According to reports, one of the main objectives was Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his residence in Tehran.
The strikes were reported to have killed Khamenei, who had led Iran for more than 30 years, with satellite imagery circulating online showing a before-and-after view of the property.
In the days since, Iran has been linked to retaliatory action, with strikes reported in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
Overnight, Iran struck the US embassy in Riyadh, prompting Donald Trump to suggest a response was imminent, saying everyone will ‘find out soon’ what he intends to do next.
With the situation still unfolding, the State Department is urging Americans located in Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, UAE, and Yemen to depart as quickly as they can.
On the Department of State’s website, the advisory for the UAE states: “On March 2, 2026, the Department of State ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and U.S. government family members to leave the United Arab Emirates due to the threat of armed conflict.”
It continues: “Following the onset of hostilities between the United States and Iran on February 28, there has been an ongoing threat of drone and missile attacks from Iran and significant disruptions to commercial flights. The Iranian regime has publicly stated its intention to target locations in the UAE associated with the United States.”
The expanded guidance follows Trump’s comments that the current conflict could stretch on for weeks, and potentially beyond that.
“It’s OK,” he said of this, per NBC News. “We’re already substantially ahead of our time projections. But whatever the time is, it’s OK.”
Trump added: “Right from the beginning, we projected four to five weeks, but we have capability to go far longer than that.”
In other remarks, Trump described Operation Epic Fury as ‘the largest, most complex, most overwhelming military offensives the world has ever seen’.
“Iran’s formerly supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, is dead,” he continued to say of the mission’s achievements so far.
“This wretched and vile man had the blood of hundreds and even thousands of Americans on his hands, and was responsible for the slaughter of countless thousands of innocent people, all across many countries.”