U.S. urges citizens to leave Middle East immediately

WASHINGTON,— The U.S. Department of State on Monday instructed American citizens to leave more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries immediately as military strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran intensified tensions across the region.

Mora Namdar, assistant secretary for consular affairs at the State Department, said Americans in the affected countries should depart using commercial transportation that remains available.

She cited safety risks as the reason for the directive.

The department recently revised its travel advisories for multiple countries in the region, advising against travel. The latest guidance applies to Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Earlier Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Amman announced that embassy personnel had left the facility because of what it described as a threat. No additional information about the threat was released.

A U.S. official said the State Department has formed an inter agency emergency task force to address the developing situation and coordinate the United States response to the conflict.

On Saturday, U.S. and Israeli forces carried out extensive strikes on various sites in Iran. The operation resulted in the deaths of several senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iranian authorities responded by launching strikes against multiple U.S. and Israeli targets across the region.

President Donald Trump said Monday that the fighting had been projected to last between four and five weeks, but he noted the timeline could extend beyond that estimate.

The conflict has expanded into a broader regional war and has caused numerous deaths. Oil markets reacted after Iranian officials warned they could target ships attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, an important route for global oil shipments.

The warning contributed to rising energy prices.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Energy Secretary Chris Wright are expected to announce measures Tuesday aimed at reducing the impact of higher energy costs, Marco Rubio said. Rubio spoke ahead of a briefing with congressional leaders regarding the recent strikes.

“We anticipated this could be an issue, and Secretary Wright and Bessent will begin to roll out those steps, starting tomorrow, to mitigate, to mitigate against the impact that could have,” Rubio said.

Officials said the situation continues to be closely monitored as developments unfold across the region.

(With files from Reuters)