U.S. Urges Americans to Leave Middle East as Iran War Intensifies

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – The U.S. State Department on Monday urged Americans to immediately depart more than a dozen Middle Eastern nations as the war with Iran entered its third day and regional security conditions deteriorated.

In a travel security update issued at 4 p.m. EST on March 2, the department warned of “serious safety risks” and advised U.S. citizens in Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen to leave using available commercial transportation.

The department also urged U.S. citizens to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security updates and allow officials to contact them in an emergency.

The warning follows escalating U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran and retaliatory attacks by the Islamic Republic on American assets in the region. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that “the hardest hits are yet to come” and that the next phase of military action would be “even more punishing on Iran.”

Commercial air travel has been disrupted across much of the region. Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and Bahrain have shuttered their airspace, and Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport remains closed, with reopening not expected before next week. While Beirut’s international airport remains open, the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon warned that the security situation has become “volatile and unpredictable” and urged Americans there to depart immediately.

The State Department categorized affected nations under varying security levels. Americans were told to avoid travel to Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon “for any reason,” with shelter-in-place guidance issued for those remaining in high-risk areas. Other countries were placed under advisories ranging from “reconsider travel” to “exercise increased caution.”

Officials have not announced U.S.-organized evacuation flights, leaving commercial travel as the primary means of departure.

The broad advisory underscores growing instability across the Middle East as the conflict expands, with U.S. leaders signaling that military operations against Iran are likely to intensify in the days ahead.

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