US advises citizens to consider leaving Middle East
WASHINGTON, AUGUST: The United States has advised its citizens to consider leaving the Middle East or be prepared to depart if the regional security situation deteriorates, as President Donald Trump warned that Iran would face severe military action if tensions continue to escalate.
The US State Department issued the advisory amid rising hostilities across the region, including drone attacks in Kuwait and fresh security incidents involving commercial vessels near the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking during a Cabinet meeting at the Camp David presidential retreat, Trump indicated that Washington was prepared for a sustained military campaign against Iran.
“We just want to win,” Trump told reporters, adding that the United States would hit Iran “very hard” until it could no longer sustain the conflict.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later accused Tehran of violating last month’s memorandum of understanding that had temporarily halted hostilities.
She alleged that Iran had attacked commercial shipping and was responsible for the deaths of American soldiers, warning that Tehran would continue to face consequences until it returned to negotiations in what President Trump considered a meaningful manner.
Meanwhile, Kuwait’s armed forces said they had detected and destroyed hostile drones that entered the country’s airspace. According to Kuwaiti authorities, the drones struck a government facility in the north and civilian property on Bubiyan Island, causing material damage but no casualties.
The attacks came days after Iran expanded retaliatory operations against US allies in the Gulf following renewed American strikes.
Commercial shipping also remained under pressure. Britain’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that a tanker was hit by an unidentified projectile northeast of Lima, Oman, damaging its engine room. In a separate incident, another tanker reported an explosion northwest of Khasab, Oman. No casualties were reported in either case.
The renewed tensions have also affected Gaza and Lebanon, where Israel carried out fresh military strikes despite Hamas indicating its willingness to disarm under a US-backed ceasefire framework.
(Agencies)
