US URGES ITS CITIZENS IN MIDDLE EAST TO ‘EXERCISE CAUTION’, CALLS IRAN ‘UNPREDICTABLE’

Sat 01 August 2026:

US embassies in several Middle Eastern capitals warned American citizens to beware an “unforeseen escalation” in the regional conflict and urged them to be ready to leave.

“Americans in the region should consider departing, or be prepared to depart should there be escalation,” said a security alert, versions of which were posted on social media by the US missions in Amman, West Jerusalem and Baghdad.

The messages urged citizens to check flight details and to follow safety advice from local authorities.

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“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,” it said.

Americans in Jordan were told not to visit US military bases there, which have recently come under Iranian missile attack, and in Israel they were urged to seek the location of the nearest bomb shelter.

“The Iranian regime is unpredictable, as seen by its recent decisions to attack areas in the region without warning or provocations as well as to expand attacks to areas not previously targeted (such as Egypt),” a post on the US Embassy in West Jerusalem’s website said.

On Wednesday a drone struck a US-owned gas vessel moored in an Egyptian port, causing a fire. Egypt is investigating but has not yet accused any group of launching the attack.

Iran’s military, meanwhile, has accused Washington of “escalating tensions” in the region, and warned: “Any country serving as defensive shield for criminal and aggressive America will be engulfed by the flames of war.”

Iran says regional countries should reconsider ‘alignment’ with US

Iranian Major-General Ali Abdollahi, the commander of Iran’s top joint military command, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, has said the US actions against Iran increasingly risk igniting widespread regional conflict.

In comments carried by Iran’s IRIB broadcaster, Abdollahi said regional countries should understand that the US intends to use their wealth, infrastructure and resources “as a defensive shield from its weakened military”.

He said those countries should reconsider their “cooperation and alignment” with the US, warning that any country serving as the US’s “defensive shield” will be “consumed by the flames of war”.

This week, Iran and the US resumed overnight exchanges of fire after a days-long lull in fighting although there were no reported strikes overnight Friday to Saturday.

The Middle East war broke out on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, which has retaliated with missile and drone strikes across the region.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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