U.S. urges citizens to rethink Middle East travel as Iran tensions rise

The U.S. State Department warned Americans to reconsider traveling to the Middle East, adding that the Iran war could quickly worsen, as Tehran maintained a defiant stance over the Strait of Hormuz.

“This military conflict has the potential to escalate rapidly. Americans outside the Middle East should seriously reconsider travel to and through the region,” the State Department said late Saturday in a post on X.

Americans currently in the Middle East should “exercise heightened vigilance and be aware of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions,” the statement said.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels based in Yemen said they attacked “sensitive” sites in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh with missiles and drones on Saturday. The Houthi claims came hours after flames and a large plume of smoke were seen near the city’s main airport, but local authorities have not cited the cause.

President Donald Trump told Fox News on Sunday that he is in “constant communication” with the Houthis, following the attacks on Saudi Arabia, and claimed the Iranian-backed group has agreed not to attack the United States. Trump added that he is in a “deciding mode” regarding the war with Iran, saying that he is determining “whether or not to blow up their nation” depending on how the country behaves.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation.

U.S. embassies in the region issued security alerts for American nationals in the Middle East because of heightened tensions and the potential for unforeseen escalation.

The warnings come in the wake of attacks by the Houthis on Saudi Arabia in recent weeks. They launched a lightning ground offensive around Bab el-Mandeb Strait — a strategically vital oil choke point at the mouth of the Red Sea — seizing Mokha and nearby islands.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration last week approved the potential $24.3 billion sale of nearly 50 F-35 warplanes to Saudi Arabia, seen as a major boost for the kingdom.

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Sunday said in a Telegram post that the key Strait of Hormuz shipping channel between Iran and Oman would not open until all of his country’s conditions are met.

The former secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, said last month that reopening the strait would require Washington to lift its naval blockade and sanctions, withdraw U.S. military forces from the region, pay war reparations, and release frozen Iranian assets.

The council also called for an end to U.S. attacks on Iran’s regional allies and to threats against Iran, according to media reports.

In a separate social media post, Iran’s armed forces warned regional neighbors that aligning themselves with the U.S. would result in retaliation by Tehran.

The message added that the government had received information that the U.S. is preparing to resume military actions against Iran.

Meanwhile, Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told MS NOW on Saturday that consultations with Qatari and Pakistani mediators continue and that they have communicated their negotiation conditions to the U.S.

“We are in contact with the Qatari mediator; they have conveyed our conditions for halting the war to Washington, and we are awaiting President Trump’s response to these terms,” Rezaei said. “Our conditions are: An end to the war on all fronts, the release of Iran’s frozen assets, and the lifting of the naval blockade.”

Trump said Wednesday that the country is “hopefully” approaching the end of its nearly seven-month war with Iran.

Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, is up 72% since the start of 2026 as the war choked off energy supplies flowing through the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman.