The United States closed its embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on Tuesday after Iranian drone strikes hit both diplomatic compounds, a stark escalation that underscores just how far beyond Iran’s borders this war has already spread. As Day 4 of the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran unfolds, the State Department is now telling Americans across more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries to get out immediately, using whatever commercial flights they can find.
The reality on the ground is far uglier than the sanitized Pentagon briefings suggest. Six American service members are dead. At least 787 Iranian civilians have been killed across 153 cities, according to Iran’s Red Crescent. Israel is simultaneously bombing Tehran and Beirut while pushing ground troops deeper into southern Lebanon. And Iran has effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that carries 20% of the world’s oil supply, sending global energy markets into a tailspin.
This is no longer a targeted strike. This is a regional war.
Embassies Under Fire Across the Gulf
Two drones hit the U.S. Embassy compound in Riyadh overnight Tuesday, starting a small fire and causing what Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry described as “minor material damage.” The embassy was empty at the time. Saudi forces later intercepted eight additional drones targeting Riyadh and the nearby city of Al-Kharj. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry called it “a flagrant Iranian attack.”
In Kuwait, an Iranian drone struck the embassy compound on Monday. Kuwait condemned the attack as “a blatant violation of all international norms and laws,” and the embassy announced it would close indefinitely.
The State Department has now ordered all nonessential personnel and their families to evacuate from six countries: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE. The embassy in Amman, Jordan was evacuated Monday. Assistant Secretary of State Mora Namdar posted a blunt warning on X telling Americans in more than a dozen countries to “DEPART NOW.”
The problem? Many of those Americans have nowhere to go. Airports across the Gulf are closed or operating on skeleton schedules. Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel, Bahrain, and Qatar have all shut their airspace. Dubai International, the world’s busiest airport for international passengers, shuttered operations after a reported Iranian strike. Tens of thousands of travelers are stranded.
Israel Strikes Tehran and Beirut Simultaneously
The Israeli Defense Forces announced Tuesday that they were conducting “simultaneous targeted strikes against military targets in Tehran and Beirut,” confirming a multi-front operation that shows no signs of slowing down.
In Tehran, Israeli strikes hit the headquarters of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), Iran’s state broadcaster. Iranian state-linked media also reported that the country’s parliament building was targeted. The IRGC Malek-Ashtar building in Tehran was completely destroyed in a joint U.S.-Israeli operation, according to footage released by Iran International. The IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman said “a wave of extensive airstrikes” was underway.
In Beirut, dramatic images showed massive plumes of smoke rising from the city’s southern suburbs after Israeli airstrikes targeted Hezbollah positions. The IDF claimed it killed Hezbollah’s intelligence chief, Hussein Makled, along with Abu Hamza Rami, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander in Lebanon. More than 70 targets were struck in the Dahieh neighborhood and across southern Lebanon.
Israel also deployed additional ground forces into southern Lebanon, with Defense Minister Israel Katz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorizing the military to “advance and seize additional controlling areas in Lebanon.” The IDF issued evacuation orders for dozens of additional villages, telling residents who already fled not to return.
Netanyahu, visiting the Palmachim Airbase, delivered a pointed warning: “Hezbollah made a very big mistake when it attacked us. We have already responded forcefully, and we will respond with even greater and additional force.”
The Strait of Hormuz Crisis Is Already Here
Perhaps the most consequential development beyond the battlefield is Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. IRGC Brigadier General Ebrahim Jabbari declared Monday: “The Strait of Hormuz is closed. Anyone who wants to pass, our devotee heroes in the IRGC navy and the army will set those ships on fire. Don’t come to this region.”
That’s not just bluster. Tanker traffic through the strait has dropped to essentially zero. At least five tankers have been damaged, two crew members killed, and over 150 ships are anchored outside the strait waiting for conditions to improve. Major shipping companies including Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have suspended all transits. Protection and indemnity insurance has been pulled for ships attempting the passage, making the economic risk impossible for owners to absorb.
The market reaction has been swift and severe. Brent crude surged past $83 per barrel on Tuesday, up more than 14% for the week. U.S. crude hit $76.31. European natural gas prices have skyrocketed 70% this week after Qatar halted liquefied natural gas production following Iranian drone attacks on its facilities at Ras Laffan and Mesaieed. Wall Street analysts are warning that a prolonged closure could push oil above $100 per barrel, creating conditions some compare to the 1970s oil embargo at triple the severity.
Japan’s Foreign Minister has directly told Iran that the waterway must reopen. Asia stands to absorb the worst of the economic shock, with China, India, Japan, and South Korea accounting for nearly 70% of all crude oil flowing through the strait.
The Broader War Picture
The conflict began on February 28 when the U.S. and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran under what the Pentagon dubbed Operation Epic Fury and Israel called Operation Roaring Lion. The opening salvo killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with several other senior officials, by destroying his Leadership House compound. It was a decapitation strike that crossed every red line in the region simultaneously.
Iran’s retaliation has been sweeping. Beyond the embassy attacks, Iranian drones and missiles have hit targets in the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. Amazon confirmed that two of its data centers in the UAE and one in Bahrain were struck by drones, disrupting operations. A fuel tank at Oman’s Duqm commercial port was hit. An Iranian drone even struck Britain’s Akrotiri Royal Air Force base in Cyprus, setting off air raid sirens across the British Overseas Territory.
Qatar shot down two Iranian Su-24 bombers, the first time any nation in the conflict has downed an Iranian aircraft. In Kuwait, three U.S. jets were accidentally shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses in what CENTCOM described as an incident under investigation. In Pakistan, a massive crowd stormed the U.S. consulate in Karachi, furious over Khamenei’s death, leaving at least 10 dead after police responded.
The UN’s nuclear watchdog confirmed for the first time that an Iranian nuclear facility has been damaged in the strikes, though IAEA chief Rafael Grossi pushed back on U.S. claims that Iran was days away from a nuclear weapon, telling CNN flatly: “No.”
Trump Says War Could Last Five Weeks
President Trump took to Truth Social overnight to tout U.S. munitions stockpiles, claiming the country has “a virtually unlimited supply” of weapons. He described American stocks at “medium and upper medium grade” as the best they’ve ever been, adding that “much additional high grade weaponry is stored for us in outlying countries.”
Trump has suggested the campaign could wrap up in four to five weeks. He also claimed Iran was seeking talks, but indicated he believes the window for negotiation has closed. Iran’s Ali Larijani subsequently ruled out any discussions.
The disconnect between the administration’s messaging and the situation on the ground is becoming harder to ignore. Officials have been shifting goalposts and contradicting each other since Saturday. Secretary of State Marco Rubio cited a planned Israeli attack as a key reason the U.S. launched strikes, while JD Vance said the goal was to change Iran’s “mindset.” Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff claimed that Iranians “shamelessly boasted” during negotiations about having enriched uranium for 11 nuclear bombs.
Meanwhile, six American families are mourning service members who won’t come home. At least 18 more Americans are seriously wounded. And as the Assembly of Experts prepares to name Khamenei’s successor (their compound was also struck), the question isn’t whether this war escalates further. It’s whether anything can stop it.
What To Watch Next
The next 48 hours will be critical. Military analysts suggest the U.S. may target what remains of Iran’s navy and make a harder push against its nuclear capabilities. Israel shows every intention of expanding its operations in Lebanon. Iran’s retaliation across the Gulf has united its rivals rather than fractured them, but the economic damage from the Strait of Hormuz closure is only beginning to be felt.
For the millions of people caught in the crossfire, from stranded travelers to civilians sheltering in bomb-hit cities across Iran and Lebanon, the four-to-five week timeline Trump has floated must feel like an eternity. The war is four days old and already spans half a dozen countries. The question everyone should be asking: what does “victory” even look like here?
This is a developing story. We will update as new information becomes available.