The United States called on its citizens to leave the Middle East region immediately. The joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran continued for a fourth day on Tuesday. Iranian forces faced ongoing strikes on their missile systems while the regime released a video to project strength.
State Department Issues Urgent Evacuation Alert
The U.S. State Department urged American nationals to depart from 14 countries across the Middle East. Officials cited serious safety risks from the expanding conflict. The affected countries included Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar announced the warning on the social media platform X. She said, “depart now via commercial means due to serious safety risks.” The department advised travelers to use any available commercial transportation. Non-emergency U.S. government personnel and families already received orders to leave several Gulf nations.
Iran Releases Propaganda Video of Underground Drone Stockpiles
Meanwhile, Iranian state media broadcast a video on Tuesday. The footage aimed to demonstrate the regime’s resilience as U.S. and Israeli forces targeted remaining missile launchers. Fars News Agency, a outlet linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, released the material.
The video showed rows of explosive drones stored inside underground tunnels. Drones appeared mounted on launchers with walls covered in Iranian flags and images of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian officials used the release to signal that the country retained significant strike capabilities despite days of attacks.
U.S. and Israel Press Attacks on Missile Infrastructure
Additionally, U.S. and Israeli strikes focused on Iran’s ballistic missile launchers. Military assessments indicated that about half of Iran’s original 500 launchers had already been destroyed. Forces aimed to eliminate 70 to 80 percent of the remaining roughly 250 launchers by the end of the week. Many launchers operated from underground positions, which complicated targeting efforts.
Iran responded with missile and drone barrages against U.S. bases and Gulf allies. The attacks prompted embassy closures and further evacuation measures. The conflict, which began with strikes on Saturday, showed no immediate signs of de-escalation as both sides pressed their operations.
