US Warns of Serious Safety Risks; Urges Americans to Depart Middle East

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Mar 3, 2026 07:14 AM Citing “serious safety risks,” the United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio early Tuesday urged American citizens to depart immediately from Middle Eastern nations, including Iran, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Gaza, West Bank, United Arab Emirates, via commercial means.
Taking to X, the Assant Secretary at the US State Department, Mora Namdar, wrote: “The @SecRubio @StateDept urges Americans to DEPART NOW from the countries below using available commercial transportation, due to serious safety risks. Americans who need State Department assance arranging to depart via commercial means, CALL US 24/7 at +1-202-501-4444 (from abroad) and +1-888-407-4747 (from the U.S. and Canada). ENROLL in http://step.state.gov to get the latest security updates from the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.”
The announcement comes as the Middle East faces a period of heightened regional volatility with the UAE Minry of Defence confirming the interception of a “third wave” of Iranian missile strikes targeting civilian and military infrastructure. This dangerous escalation follows a direct military confrontation involving Iran, Israel, and the US, with Tehran launching widespread aerial attacks in response to ongoing regional hostilities.

The @SecRubio @StateDept urges Americans to DEPART NOW from the countries below using available commercial transportation, due to serious safety risks. Americans who need State Department assance arranging to depart via commercial means, CALL US 24/7 at +1-202-501-4444 (from… pic.twitter.com/vdplAik2Sq
— Assant Secretary Mora Namdar (@AsstSecStateCA) March 2, 2026
The countries included in the advisory are Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel (including the West Bank and Gaza), Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
The US State Department also issued helpline numbers for American citizens to provide them assance arranging for commercial means to depart from these countries in the Middle East.
It also urged them to enroll into its ‘Smart Traveller Enrollment Program’ to receive updates on the security situation from their respective US embassy or consulate. The program is a free service that enables US citizens and its nationals to enroll their international trip, for the Department of State to “accurately and quickly contact them in case of emergency,” according to the official website.

Early on Tuesday, the UAE said that it was working to intercept a major missile attack launched Iran.
With Israel and the United States pounding Iran in a campaign that US President Donald Trump said would likely take several weeks, Tehran and its allies have hit back against Israel, Gulf states, targeting sites critical to the world’s energy production.Story continues below this ad
The intensity of the attacks, the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the lack of any apparent exit plan has set the stage for a prolonged conflict with far-reaching consequences.
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