The US Embassy in Israel has told its staff that they could leave the country and urged anyone considering departure to do so immediately, as the threat of an American strike on Iran looms.
US Ambassador Mike Huckabee told embassy employees in an email on Friday that discussions with officials in Washington had led to a decision authorising departures for those who wished to leave.
The email urged staff considering departure to do so quickly, advising them to focus initially on getting any flight out of Israel and to then make their way to Washington.
“Those wishing to take AD should do so TODAY," Huckabee wrote, using an acronym for “authorised departure.”
“While there may be outbound flights over the coming days, there may not be," he added.
Airlines such as Netherlands-based KLM have already announced plans to suspend flights out of Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport, and other embassies have also made plans for authorised departures from Israel and neighbouring countries.
Australia on Wednesday “directed the departure of all dependents of Australian officials posted to Israel in response to the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East.” India and several European countries with missions in Iran advised citizens to avoid travel to the country as well.
China on Friday urged its citizens in Iran to leave the country and issued an advisory against travel as tensions with the US continued to rise amid a military buildup in the Persian Gulf.
"In view of the current security situation in Iran, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy and Consulates in Iran remind Chinese nationals to refrain from travelling to Iran," China's Consular Department said through Chinese social media company WeChat.
It added that Chinese nationals "already in Iran should heighten security precautions and leave as soon as possible," according to the Beijing-based daily Global Times.
New level of contingency planning
The UK has also withdrawn its diplomatic staff from Iran due to the security situation, while continuing to advise its citizens against all travel to the country, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said.
British officials, in a statement, said the Foreign Office "advises against all travel to Iran," warning that British nationals already in the country should "carefully consider" the risks of remaining there.
The departure authorisations signal a new level of contingency planning as a massive fleet of US aircraft and warships mass in the Middle East.
Trump said in his State of the Union address this week that Iran was working on missiles that could reach the United States and accused Iran of "pursuing sinister nuclear ambitions".
Iran has always insisted its nuclear programme was peaceful and called the claims "big lies".
On February 19, Trump gave Iran 15 days to reach a deal. While Iran has insisted that discussions focus solely on nuclear issues, Washington wants Tehran's missile programme curtailed.
Without specifying what demands he was referring to, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that "success in this path requires seriousness and realism from the other side and avoidance of any miscalculation and excessive demands".
