The US State Department has issued a worldwide security warning urging Americans to exercise increased caution amid fears of further escalation in Washington’s renewed war with Iran.
“Due to heightened tensions in the Middle East, the security environment remains complex with the potential for unforeseen escalation,” it said on Saturday, advising US citizens worldwide – particularly those in the region – to monitor breaking developments and follow instructions issued by the nearest American embassy or consulate.
The warning noted that flight cancellations and periodic airspace closures could cause travel disruptions. It also said that US diplomatic facilities had been targeted, including those outside the Middle East, and warned that pro-Iranian groups could attack “other US interests overseas or locations associated with the United States and/or Americans throughout the world.”
The alert came hours after US Central Command confirmed that two American service members had been killed in Jordan on Friday as US and allied forces defended the Kingdom against Iranian ballistic missiles and drones.
The deaths brought the total number of officially confirmed American fatalities since the US-Israeli war against Iran began in February to 16.
US President Donald Trump had posted nothing on Truth Social for more than 24 hours and offered only a brief response when NewsNation and the New York Post called him about the deaths.
CENTCOM announced a new round of strikes later than usual on Saturday evening, after remaining silent for much of the day, and claimed that the attacks were intended to “swiftly punish” IRGC forces responsible for the deaths of American service members.
Iranian media acknowledged several missile strikes on Qeshm Island and in the nearby port cities of Bandar Abbas and Sirik overnight. However, the intensity of the bombing appeared much lower than during the previous seven nights, when multiple bridges and other infrastructure targets were hit.
Iran has carried out near-daily retaliatory missile and drone attacks on US military facilities across the Middle East since Washington resumed large-scale strikes earlier this month. Tehran has targeted bases and other American-linked facilities in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman, as well as in Iraq and Syria.
Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to teach the US an “unforgettable lesson” in a written statement on Saturday, after Tehran repeatedly warned that the “entire region will pay the price” for American attacks on Iran’s civilian infrastructure.
The Iranian Health Ministry said on Saturday that US strikes between June 27 and July 18 had killed 50 people, including women and children, and injured more than 500. An estimated 3,500 Iranians were killed in the first round of attacks launched in February, while Israeli operations in Lebanon reportedly claimed another 4,300 lives.