The United States has closed multiple diplomatic missions and ordered the evacuation of non-emergency personnel across parts of the Gulf as the conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran escalates into a broader regional confrontation.
The US State Department on Tuesday directed non-emergency government personnel and their family members to leave Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar and Kuwait. Several diplomatic facilities have either suspended operations or shifted to emergency-only services amid heightened security concerns.
The US State Department has urged American citizens to leave more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries due to safety risks. However, widespread airspace closures have complicated evacuation efforts, leaving many stranded. The State Department has also restricted non-essential travel to certain US military installations across the region.
EMBASSIES CLOSED, STAFF ASKED TO LEAVE
The US Embassy in Kuwait announced it would remain closed indefinitely due to “regional tensions,” cancelling all regular and emergency consular appointments until further notice.
In Saudi Arabia, the US Mission was shut on March 3 after a drone strike hit the US Embassy compound in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry said two drones caused a limited fire and minor damage to the facility. Americans in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran were advised to shelter in place and avoid embassy premises.
The US Embassy in Israel said it was not in a position to evacuate or directly assist Americans seeking to leave and urged citizens to make independent security arrangements.
EMBASSY IN SAUDI ARABIA HIT BY DRONES
The US Mission in Saudi Arabia was closed on March 3 following a drone strike on the embassy compound in Riyadh. The Saudi Defence Ministry said two drones caused a limited fire and minor damage. Americans in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dhahran were advised to shelter in place and avoid embassy premises.
The embassy posted on X: “Avoid the Embassy until further notice due to an attack on the facility,” and confirmed all appointments had been cancelled. The attack followed an earlier reported strike targeting the US Embassy in Kuwait, contributing to heightened regional tensions.
ESCALATING MILITARY EXCHANGES
The diplomatic measures come as Iranian retaliatory strikes expand across the Gulf following US and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets.
US President Donald Trump said operations could last four to five weeks and that he was prepared to continue longer if required. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that “the hardest hits are yet to come.”
The Iranian Red Crescent Society said at least 555 people have been killed in Iran since the start of US-Israeli strikes. In Israel, 11 people were killed in Iranian missile attacks. Lebanon’s health authorities reported 52 deaths following Israeli strikes targeting Hezbollah. The US military has confirmed six American service members were killed in Kuwait.
CONFLICT SPREADS BEYOND IRAN AND ISRAEL
The confrontation has increasingly drawn in proxy forces. Hezbollah launched missiles and drones at Israel, prompting further Israeli airstrikes in Beirut and southern Lebanon. An Iranian-linked militia in Iraq claimed attacks on US military facilities.
Iran has also struck energy infrastructure in Qatar and Saudi Arabia and targeted vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil transit route. The disruption has contributed to rising global oil and natural gas prices.
With no immediate signs of de-escalation and operations continuing on multiple fronts, US diplomatic facilities across the region remain on heightened alert as the conflict deepens.
