The United States government is facing serious challenges in helping its citizens leave the Middle East as fighting between the United States, Israel, and Iran intensifies.
US officials confirmed that more than 1,500 Americans have requested assistance to leave the region. However, air travel has been severely disrupted as missile and drone strikes affect airports and airspace across the Gulf.
The United States has closed embassies in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Lebanon and reduced staff in several other countries. Americans in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were instructed to shelter in place after a drone struck the grounds of the US consulate in Dubai late on March 3.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said all personnel were accounted for after the Dubai incident. The UAE later confirmed that the fire caused by the “drone-related incident” had been extinguished and that no injuries were reported. Other US facilities in the region, including bases and diplomatic posts, have also been placed on high alert.
President Donald Trump acknowledged that there had been no evacuation plan in place before the strikes on Iran began, and the State Department is now working to organise charter flights and other transport options. However, regional airspace closures and security alerts have slowed those efforts.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it continues to carry out counterattacks for a fourth consecutive night. So far:
- 153 cities in Iran were targeted in recent days.
- More than 700 people have been killed, according to the Iranian Red Crescent.
- Iran has deployed 230 drones in ongoing operations.
- Iranian forces claimed to have launched a naval operation targeting US military ships.
Iran further declared the Strait of Hormuz closed, stating that ships would not be able to pass through the waterway. Iranian officials claimed more than 10 oil tankers were targeted.
The US military said it has struck nearly 2,000 targets inside Iran since Saturday. Officials also stated that 17 Iranian ships, including a submarine, were destroyed.
President Trump said Iran’s air force and navy had been “knocked out” and that strikes targeted Iranian leadership structures.
Israel has expanded its operations beyond Iran. In Lebanon:
- An Israeli strike hit the Comfort Hotel in Hazmieh, a suburb of Beirut.
- Residential buildings were struck in Baalbek, Aramoun and Sadiyath.
- At least 10 people were reported killed in recent attacks.
- Evacuation orders were issued for parts of Beirut’s southern suburbs, with residents told to move at least 300 metres away from marked buildings.
An Israeli source said a compound in Iran linked to the body responsible for selecting the next supreme leader was struck. Iranian media reported that the building had been evacuated before the attack.
The fighting has disrupted global oil supplies. Iraq slowed production at the Rumaila oil field and the West Qurna 2 project, two major energy sites.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has significantly declined. President Trump said the US Navy is prepared to escort tankers through the strait “if necessary” and ordered government-backed insurance guarantees for vessels operating in the Gulf.
Oil and gas prices have risen sharply, and US gasoline recorded its largest single-day increase since 2005. Asian markets fell in early trading as investors reacted to the growing instability.
Foreign ministers from Russia and China criticised the US-Israeli strikes. China called for Israel to cease attacks immediately, while Russia said it had seen no evidence that Iran was seeking to acquire a nuclear weapon.
European countries have taken precautionary steps. The United Kingdom is deploying a warship after an attack on a military base in Cyprus, while France has sent an aircraft carrier and additional air defence assets to the Mediterranean.
Reporting from Tehran indicates continued explosions in the capital and other cities, including Karaj and Isfahan, with no visible signs of de-escalation.
At present, military operations are continuing on multiple fronts:
- Direct US–Iran strikes
- Israeli operations in Iran
- Israeli and Hezbollah exchanges in Lebanon
- Iranian strikes on US and Israeli targets in the Gulf
