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The US State Department reissued its Worldwide Caution for American citizens on Sunday, July 20, telling travelers everywhere to raise their vigilance as fighting in the Middle East continues. The alert warns that the security environment remains complex, with the potential for sudden escalation. The message applies to Americans in every country, not just those near the fighting.
Americans in the Middle East should prepare for possible flight cancellations, periodic airspace closures, and other travel disruptions, the department said. It urged them to watch embassy security alerts, local authorities, and the news for breaking developments. Americans outside the region were told to reconsider travel to and through it.
The notice states that US diplomatic facilities, including some outside the Middle East, have been targeted. It adds that Iran and groups supportive of Iran may target other US interests overseas, or locations associated with the United States and Americans anywhere in the world.
The Worldwide Caution replaces an earlier version and carries the same core message that has run through the crisis, that US citizens face a raised and unpredictable threat both in the region and beyond it. A Worldwide Caution is a global message rather than a country-specific advisory. The department did not name new threats or locations, and pointed citizens to its consular information page for the Middle East.
The caution follows an escalating conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. Airspace over Iraq and the Gulf has opened and closed with little warning, and airports across the region have logged repeated cancellations. Circuit Wire reported earlier this week that Erbil International Airport halted all flights after Iraqi air defenses downed drones near the US consulate.
The State Department pointed travelers to its Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, known as STEP, which sends security alerts by email. It listed emergency lines at +1-202-501-4444 for callers abroad and +1-888-407-4747 from the United States and Canada, staffed around the clock. The department also urged citizens to follow its security updates channel on WhatsApp and the @TravelGov account on X.
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