US embassies across the Middle East, including in Jordan, Iraq and Israel, urged Americans on Saturday to consider leaving the region or be prepared to depart if tensions escalate, warning of possible Iranian attacks, flight disruptions and airspace closures.
Major General Ali Abdollahi, commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned regional countries to reconsider cooperation with Washington, saying any country that serves as a US “defensive shield” “will burn in the fire of war.”
The United States and Israel are preparing possible strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure this weekend, although Trump has not yet given final approval, CBS News reported,citing multiple sources.
President Donald Trump has ordered fresh strikes on Iran that could begin as soon as this weekend, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials.
The IRGC said it struck and halted two oil tankers attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz, while four others turned back after Iranian warnings.
Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, said attacks on Iran’s infrastructure would awaken “fault lines” beneath “250 years of US hegemony.”
In a post on X, Mokhber said, “You calculate with military equations, but we respond with the logic of history.”
He added that once the system’s pillars collapse, “there will be neither a center left for command nor a market for plunder.”
Bahrain condemned repeated Iranian attacks on civilian and vital facilities in Kuwait Saturday, calling them a serious violation of the country’s sovereignty, security and stability.
The Bahraini foreign ministry said the attacks threatened civilians and residents and breached international law, the UN Charter and UN Security Council Resolution 2817.
The ministry also called for an immediate end to “unjustified attacks” by Iran and its proxies across the region.
The US Mission to the United Arab Emirates urged Americans in the Middle East on Saturday to consider leaving the region or be prepared to depart if tensions escalate.
“The security environment remains complex with the potential for unforeseen escalation,” the mission said on X, warning of possible flight cancellations, periodic airspace closures and other travel disruptions.
It said some regional airlines had delayed restoring earlier schedules or canceled routes and advised Americans to exercise caution and heightened vigilance.
Similar warnings were issued Saturday by US missions in Jordan, Iraq and Israel, urging Americans to consider leaving the Middle East or be prepared to depart if tensions escalate.
The United States is publicly threatening to escalate the war while privately seeking negotiations with Tehran through existing channels, an Iranian lawmaker said Saturday, accusing Washington of trying to deceive the Islamic Republic.
“In the media, they speak of escalating tensions, but through existing channels, they are asking for negotiations,” Hassan Ghashghavi wrote on X. “They cannot deceive the Islamic Republic.”
Ghashghavi said that whether Washington pursued escalation or negotiations, its only option was to accept Tehran’s proposed arrangements for the passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Jasem Albudaiwi on Saturday strongly condemned Iranian attacks that Kuwait said targeted a government facility and civilian property on Bubiyan Island.
Albudaiwi called the attacks a “flagrant violation” of Kuwait’s sovereignty and said they were part of what he described as Iran’s “hostile approach to destabilising security and stability in the region.”
He said the GCC stood in “full solidarity” with Kuwait and supported measures taken by the country to protect its security, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The top US general in Europe has privately warned the Pentagon that he lacks sufficient naval forces to continue defending Israel from Iranian ballistic missile attacks, the Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing officials.
Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, head of US European Command, warned that a shortage of Navy destroyers would force him to prioritize protection of the US homeland, according to the report.
The US Embassy in Jerusalem urged Americans in Israel on Saturday to consider leaving the Middle East or be prepared to depart if tensions escalate, warning of possible flight cancellations and airspace closures.
The embassy said Iran and Iran-aligned groups could target US interests and urged Americans to know the location of their nearest shelter and remain alert for missile and drone attacks.
A tanker carrying Qatari liquefied natural gas was struck by a projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, Bloomberg reported on Saturday, citing security intelligence firms and ship-tracking data.
Security firms identified the vessel as the GasLog Shanghai. UK Maritime Trade Operations earlier said a tanker had been struck off the Omani coast, damaging its engine room and leaving it unable to maneuver. No casualties or environmental impact were reported.
The US Embassy in Baghdad and Consulate General in Erbil urged Americans in Iraq on Saturday to maintain heightened vigilance and consider leaving the Middle East, or be prepared to depart in the event of further escalation.
The security alert warned of possible flight cancellations and airspace closures and said Iran and Iran-aligned groups could target US interests. The US Mission in Iraq remains open but under ordered departure, it said.