The United States has ordered non-emergency government personnel and their families to leave several Middle Eastern nations, including Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, and Jordan.
The directive comes as Washington closed multiple diplomatic missions across the region due to the rapidly escalating conflict involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran.
The broader security situation has prompted heightened precautions at diplomatic facilities across the region.
Authorities have also restricted non-essential travel to military installations as the airspace in many areas remains closed, leaving numerous foreign nationals stranded.
The U.S. Mission to Saudi Arabia closed on Tuesday after the Saudi Defense Ministry confirmed the embassy was attacked by two Iranian drones. American citizens in cities such as Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dhahran have been instructed to continue sheltering in place while the security situation develops.
Additionally, the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait announced it will remain closed until further notice, cancelling all consular appointments following a separate attack the previous day. In Israel, the U.S. Embassy stated it cannot currently evacuate or directly assist Americans seeking to leave, advising citizens to formulate independent security and travel plans.
U.S. President Donald Trump stated the campaign's objectives are to destroy Iran's missile capabilities, eliminate its navy, and prevent the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Trump added that the operations are intended to stop Tehran from supporting allied groups such as Lebanon's Hezbollah. Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed Congress that the hardest military strikes are still to come, warning the conflict could last for several weeks.
Iranian forces have retaliated by striking various targets across the Gulf. Recent impacts include drone attacks on commercial data centers in the United Arab Emirates and infrastructure in Bahrain, signalling a potential prolonged conflict.
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Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained low on Thursday, as Iran reiterated that it will neither enter into new negotiations with the United States nor re-open the Strait as long as its conditions are not met, despite recent indirect talks in New York mediated by Qatar.
As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meeting in New York, Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Thursday with ballistic missiles, killing two people and injuring six, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
The 81st UN General Assembly continues in New York on Wednesday, with another day of high-level speeches and diplomatic meetings. The wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, global security and international cooperation remain at the centre of discussions.
The 81st UN General Assembly has wrapped up its third day in New York on Thursday, with world leaders delivering high-level speeches and holding diplomatic meetings.
Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan will hold an urgent high-level meeting under a joint defence pact to discuss ways to support the kingdom amid attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis. The meeting comes as Tehran seeks to distance itself from the rapid advance of its Houthi allies.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan held talks on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York. They discussed progress towards peace and the development of economic and transport links between the two countries.
Fourteen Kazakh military personnel died after being swept out to sea during a naval training exercise in the western Mangistau region, authorities said on Thursday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mounted a forceful defence of Israel's actions in the region at the United Nations on Thursday, seeking to counter growing international isolation ahead of elections he could lose, as dozens of delegates streamed out.
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have escalated again, with Pakistani security sources saying its troops thwarted an attempted Afghan Taliban attack in the Gulistan sector of Balochistan on Thursday, along Pakistan’s western border with Afghanistan, killing several Taliban fighters.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze used his address to the UN General Assembly's 81st session in New York this week to make a two-part case: that Georgia is becoming an indispensable regional hub, and that it remains open to repairing ties with international partners.
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