Tension is rising once again around Iran. On one side there are fears of military conflict between the country and the United States; on the other, fresh attacks and counter-attacks are under way in various parts of the Middle East. In this situation the United States virtual embassy has advised American citizens to leave Iran.
The virtual embassy gave the advice on Monday (September 21). At the same time it warned Americans not to travel to Iran for any reason. The advice came in a security alert published on the embassy’s website.
It said the Iran-backed Houthis had become involved in attacks and conflict against Saudi Arabia, and that civilian airports had also been targeted in those attacks. The United States virtual embassy also warned that the continuing military conflict could quickly take on a larger scale.
The alert comes amid rising tension between Iran and the United States. President Donald Trump had earlier threatened to “blow Iran up altogether”. He made the threat in an interview with Fox News on Sunday.
Trump also returned to the White House from Camp David ahead of schedule on Saturday. He later said he was still at the stage of taking a decision on Iran, warning at the same time that “something very big” could happen.
Amid those remarks by Trump, Iran has said it is preparing for possible United States air strikes. Its military command said it had received intelligence about joint military action by the United States and several Middle Eastern countries.
Iran has also threatened to strike back at United States bases, interests and allies if it is attacked.
Tension between Iran and the United States continues to build. The United States naval blockade of Iran has already been tightened. The two countries are also at odds over the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, where Iran is holding to its position on control of the waterway.