The United States embassy in Qatar advised Americans in the country to “shelter in place” Monday, following Tehran’s threats of retaliation for recent U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
Other Western embassies, including those of Britain and Canada, issued similar warnings.
Qatar, a gas-rich nation located just 190 kilometers (120 miles) south of Iran across the Persian Gulf, hosts Al Udeid Air Base—the largest U.S. military facility in the region.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we recommend American citizens shelter in place until further notice,” the U.S. embassy stated on its website.
The advisory came after Iran’s armed forces warned of “serious, unpredictable consequences” against the U.S. following heavy airstrikes that destroyed three of its nuclear facilities.
In Bahrain, home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, the American embassy announced it had “temporarily shifted a portion of its employees to local telework” in a post on X (formerly Twitter). Bahraini authorities had already instructed most government employees to work from home indefinitely, citing “regional circumstances.”
However, Qatar sought to downplay concerns. Foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari stated that embassy warnings “do not necessarily reflect the existence of specific or credible threats.”
“We would like to reassure the public that the security situation in the state remains stable,” he wrote on X. “Qatar continues to exert intensive diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region.”
The shelter-in-place notice follows broader U.S. warnings. On Sunday, the State Department urged Americans worldwide to “exercise increased caution” due to heightened hostilities between Israel and Iran.
Earlier, after Israel’s initial strikes on Iran on June 13, the U.S. embassy in Qatar had already advised staff and citizens to “exercise increased caution” and “limit non-essential travel to Al Udeid Air Base.”