US embassies across the Middle East have issued fresh alerts urging American citizens to be ready to leave or consider departing amid fears of an imminent escalation in the conflict with Iran. The warnings, now covering ten countries, follow comments from President Trump signalling that fresh US strikes on Iran could come as soon as this weekend, with reports suggesting Washington and Israel are preparing a major bombing campaign against Iranian energy infrastructure.

The alerts apply to the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and, most recently, Egypt, with the Cairo embassy becoming the latest to advise citizens to prepare for possible departure. Officials cited the "unpredictable" nature of the Iranian regime, pointing to unprovoked attacks and the expansion of strikes into new areas such as Egypt. Trump told reporters at a Camp David Cabinet meeting that the US would "hit them very hard," while the Pentagon said it was "locked and loaded" to act on his orders, though an Israeli official said no decision had yet been made to resume full military operations. The renewed tension comes as Washington demands Tehran reopen the Strait of Hormuz and honour a truce reached last month, which the White House says Iran has since violated.