The State Department on Monday urged Americans across the Middle East to leave as soon as possible using all available transportation, although many airports around the region remained closed as airstrikes continued.
US and Israeli strikes on Iran over the weekend caused massive disruptions to US embassies and consulates across the Middle East in response to Iranian retaliation. The US Embassy in Bahrain is closed. In Kuwait, Americans have been told to stay indoors. In Jordan, diplomatic personnel were temporarily evacuated on Monday following threats.
Americans were told to shelter in place until further notice as Iran retaliates across the region in response to the US-Israeli attack.
The State Department on Saturday issued a “worldwide alert” to all Americans abroad for the first time since June 22, 2025, after the US intervened in the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran. The State Department does not disclose its diplomatic footprint so it is unclear how many Americans are stationed in the Middle East.
But on Monday, State Department officials urged Americans to leave Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Earlier in the day, President Donald Trump suggested the war could last a month or more. The US and Israel hit multiple targets, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields.
Six US service members were killed and 18 seriously wounded in the operation, the official said. The Iranian Red Crescent said more than 200 people were killed and approximately 700 injured in Iran.
The State Department created a task force to help US citizens, but with US embassies and consulates suspending routine and emergency services, Americans in the region are still left with limited options.
Airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha – the world’s busiest airports, including Dubai International Airport – are important hubs for travel from Europe, Africa and the West to Asia. According to the Associated Press, all three were hit by direct strikes.
Oliver Sims, a 24-year-old content creator from Dallas, got stuck in Doha on his way back from a friend’s wedding in India. He contacted the US embassy there but was told that they could not provide him with any immediate assistance.
“He was getting so many emergency calls that he had to hang up on me,” she told NBC News.
Sims got in touch with his senator, John Cornyn, who assured him that his office was aware of his location. “They said they would inform me of any plans to extract US citizens,” he told NBC News.
Sims feels relatively safe and is able to work remotely from his hotel room in Doha, but his parents are worried.
“My parents are calling constantly,” he said, asking if he was OK and if there was any other way he could get out of the country. For now, Sims is taking it easy, but he hopes to return to Dallas in time to celebrate his 25th birthday on Saturday.
In a video posted on X, Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained how Americans can get in touch with State Department officials.
“Our number one priority is the safety and security of American citizens everywhere in the world,” Rubio said.
In Bahrain, after the strike at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in the capital, Manama, Americans were warned to avoid all hotels as they could be vulnerable to attack. The US Embassy was closed and all regular and emergency consular appointments were cancelled.
