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24-06-2025
WASHINGTON/ LONDON/ DOHA: The US and the UK have told their citizens in Qatar to shelter in place “until further notice”.
The US embassy in Qatar suggested in a notice online that Americans do so “out of an abundance of caution”. The UK government said it was issuing its warning in response to the US alert.
The warnings come after the State Department told US citizens in international locations to “exercise increased caution,” after the US bombed three nuclear sites in Iran on Saturday. Iran has threatened to retaliate.
In a statement, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said a number of countries were urging precautions but the embassy notice did “not necessarily reflect the existence of specific threats”.
“The security situation in the country is stable,” the statement said, adding that “the relevant authorities are closely monitoring the situation and are ready to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of citizens, residents, and visitors”.
Qatar is home to the largest US military base in the Middle East, Al Udeid Air Base. About 8,000 US citizens live there, according to the State Department.
The US has about 40,000 troops stationed in the Middle East.
The message from the US Embassy was followed by warnings from other groups in Qatar, including several universities that asked students to go home.
Bilateral relations between the US and Qatar are “strong”, according to the State Department, which says Qatar has helped play a financial, political and military role in dealing with turmoil in the region.
Iran regime change
The White House says Donald Trump was “simply raising a question” after he earlier floated the idea of regime change in Iran.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says the US has not changed its military position on Iran, ahead of a National Security Council meeting later.
It comes as Israel says it is targeting Tehran with “unprecedented force”, including attacks on “access routes” to the Fordo nuclear site and Evin prison.
Iran is weighing a response to Saturday’s US strikes on its nuclear facilities, which Trump says caused “monumental damage”.
Meanwhile the first evacuation flight for British nationals has left Israel, Foreign Secretary David Lammy says, while UK and US citizens in Qatar have been advised to shelter in place.
The EU is urging Iran not to block the Strait of Hormuz, with the US asking China to put pressure on Tehran over the key shipping route
Key questions remain unanswered
Washington is waiting with bated breath to see exactly what Iran’s next move will be.
At the White House, Donald Trump is set to chair another meeting of the National Security Council in the next few hours, which will assess the threat of potential Iranian retaliation.
While there are no concrete threats on US soil, the country remains on heightened alert, especially around the risk of cyber-attacks. That concern has only grown after Iran’s escalating rhetoric towards Israel and warnings directed at the United States.
Meanwhile, the messaging from the Trump administration has been somewhat mixed.
Vice-President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have insisted this is not about regime change, only for President Trump, all of a sudden, to openly muse about it.
He posted on social media; “if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???” (Int’l News Desk)
