Qatar temporarily grounded air traffic across its airspace on Monday following Iran’s stern warning of retaliation over recent United States strikes on its nuclear facilities, prompting several Western embassies to urge citizens to remain indoors.
The Gulf nation, located just 190 kilometres (120 miles) from Iran and hosting the largest US military installation in the region, Al Udeid Air Base, said the move was a precautionary step amid heightened regional tensions.
“The competent authorities announce the temporary suspension of air traffic in the country’s airspace, as part of a set of precautionary measures taken based on developments in the region,” Qatar’s foreign ministry stated, adding that officials were closely “monitoring the situation in coordination with regional and international partners.”
Prior to the announcement, the US embassy in Doha had issued a security alert advising American citizens to avoid going outside.
“Out of an abundance of caution we recommend American citizens shelter in place until further notice,” the statement read on the embassy’s website.
The embassies of Britain and Canada followed suit, referencing the US alert in their own safety guidance to nationals.
The rising anxiety came after Iranian armed forces on Monday vowed to deliver “serious, unpredictable consequences” to the United States in response to its support for Israeli strikes, which reportedly targeted three nuclear sites inside Iran.
In Bahrain, another key US ally and home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, the American embassy confirmed via X that it had “temporarily shifted a portion of its employees to local telework.”
Bahraini officials had earlier directed most government workers to operate remotely “until further notice,” attributing the measure to ongoing “regional circumstances.”
In reaction to the flurry of embassy warnings, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari issued a statement clarifying that such alerts “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 unfolding tension follows Israel’s initial strike on Iran on June 13, after which the US embassy had urged caution for its staff and advised limiting “non-essential travel to Al Udeid Air Base.”
On Sunday, the US State Department also released a global advisory for Americans to “exercise increased caution” in light of the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.