The U.S. government has advised American nationals throughout the Middle East to remain alert and prepared to leave the region should the situation escalate, according to a security alert issued by the State Department.
The advisory highlighted that U.S. diplomatic facilities, including those outside the Middle East, have been targeted, and warned that Iran and groups aligned with it may target other U.S. interests or locations associated with Americans globally.
"Americans currently in the Middle East should exercise caution and heightened vigilance and should be prepared for flight cancellations, periodic airspace closures, and potential travel disruptions," the alert stated. "Americans in the region should consider departing, or be prepared to depart should there be escalation. Americans outside the Middle East should seriously reconsider travel to and through the region."
U.S. embassies across several Middle Eastern nations, including Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, reposted the alert, citing the risk of "unexpected escalation."
This development comes amid reports from U.S. media indicating that President Donald Trump may be considering new strikes against Iran over the weekend. According to sources briefed on the matter, a plan for what would be one of the most significant bombing campaigns against Iran's energy infrastructure was discussed during a Friday cabinet meeting. Some White House aides reportedly opposed the plan.
During the cabinet meeting, Trump was quoted as saying, "We'll be hitting them [Iranians] very hard. At some point, they're going to say, 'We just can't take it anymore.'"
Earlier on Thursday, the U.S. military announced the completion of a "heavy wave" of strikes against Iran in retaliation for ballistic missile attacks on American forces. U.S. Central Command (Centcom) reported hitting "dozens" of targets belonging to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in response to Tehran's actions against U.S. bases in Jordan and ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian state media reported that three individuals, including a young child, were killed in the U.S. strikes.
The broader conflict has intensified this week, following a period of relative calm. The situation expanded after joint U.S.-Saudi strikes targeted Iranian proxies in Iraq. Washington and Tehran have been engaged in a cycle of escalating strikes and counter-strikes since a ceasefire in April, which aimed to pause a months-long war, collapsed in June. The U.S. has imposed blockades on Iranian ports and conducted bombings of Iranian sites, while Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks on U.S. assets across the Middle East and targeted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil transit route. The initial wave of U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran began on February 28.