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US Evacuates Middle East Embassies Amid Escalating US-Israel Strikes on Iran

US Evacuates Middle East Embassies Amid Escalating US-Israel Strikes on Iran
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The United States evacuated diplomats and shut down or curtailed operations at multiple embassies across the Middle East on Tuesday, as a U.S.-Israeli air campaign against Iran entered its fourth day and Iranian retaliation spread across the region npr +1. Washington also urged Americans in 15 countries and territories, from Iran and Iraq to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, to “depart now” using any available commercial transport npr.

The sweeping security moves followed coordinated U.S.-Israeli strikes that began on Saturday, February 28, targeting Iranian leadership, military and nuclear-linked facilities and killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to Western and Iranian reports wwno +1. Iran responded with waves of missiles and drones against Israel, Gulf states and U.S. assets, while allied militias including Hezbollah opened new fronts from Lebanon and Iraq wwno +1.

How the War Triggered a Diplomatic Pullout

The State Department’s rare, regionwide alert advised U.S. citizens to leave Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the UAE and Yemen, citing “serious safety risks” from intensifying conflict npr. In parallel, the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait was closed “until further notice,” the embassy in Bahrain suspended normal consular services, and staff were evacuated or sharply reduced at missions in Jordan and other posts that had come under threat from missile and drone fire npr +2.

U.S. officials said at least six American service members had been killed and about 18 seriously wounded since the campaign began, as Iranian and proxy forces struck bases and facilities associated with U.S. troops and allies npr +1. President Donald Trump said the United States had “a virtually unlimited supply” of munitions and warned that “wars can be fought ‘forever’” with existing stockpiles, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed that “the hardest hits are yet to come” against Iran’s military infrastructure npr +1.

Escalating Regional Risks: Oil, Shipping and Proxy Fronts

Iranian officials said at least 787 people had been killed in strikes across 131 cities, and the Revolutionary Guard declared the Strait of Hormuz closed, threatening to set transiting ships “on fire” if they attempted passage wwno +1. U.S. Central Command said its forces had destroyed 11 Iranian warships in the Gulf of Oman, underscoring the risk that clashes could engulf key shipping lanes that handle roughly a fifth of the world’s liquefied natural gas and a significant share of its oil exports wwno +1. European gas futures jumped about 42%, while U.S. and Brent crude prices also climbed sharply on Monday wwno.

Beyond Iran and the Gulf, Israel expanded operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and the Beirut suburbs after the group formally joined the fighting, prompting tens of thousands of Lebanese civilians to flee northward wwno +1. Missile and drone fragments have landed in or near several Arab capitals, while airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha have faced major disruptions and flight cancellations, complicating both evacuations and commercial travel across the region wwno +1.

The Bigger Picture

At the United Nations, Iran’s ambassador condemned U.S. and Israeli strikes as “deeply shameful and hypocritical,” while nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi urged all sides to return to negotiations “sooner rather than later” amid confirmed damage at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility wwno +1. With no ceasefire in sight and both Washington and Tehran signaling readiness for further escalation, the rapid drawdown of U.S. diplomatic staff underscored fears that a campaign launched to blunt Iran’s capabilities could transform into a prolonged regional war with global economic and security repercussions npr +1.