(The Epoch Times)—The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Wednesday advised Americans in Iraq to sustain heightened readiness amid regional flare-ups this week while emphasizing the longstanding Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory that had already been in place in the country.
The alert, posted on the U.S. Department of State’s official TravelGov account on X, warned that U.S. citizens in Iraq “are advised to maintain heightened readiness and stay alert to local news sources.” Travel disruptions and airspace closures could happen on short notice, the State Department stated.
“Do not travel to Iraq for any reason,” the alert said. “Leave now if you are there.”
Americans were directed to be in touch with their airlines directly for any updates on their flights.
The post said that more information on airport operations in the country would be made available through official channels.
The warning comes just one day after the United States conducted retaliatory strikes against Iran. U.S. Central Command launched the self-defense strikes on June 9 as a direct response to the downing of a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter the previous day near the Strait of Hormuz.
“CENTCOM forces struck Iranian air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz with precision munitions from U.S. Air Force and Navy fighter jets,” CENTCOM stated in a release. “The operation was a proportional response to recent attacks on U.S. forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters.
President Donald Trump confirmed the incident in a Truth Social post.
“I have just been informed by our Great Military that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache Helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz. There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack,” Trump said.
U.S. Central Command said the operation was “a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression.” The flight crew was rescued approximately two hours after they were shot down with the assistance of a drone boat.
Before the U.S. retaliatory strikes occurred, Trump said negotiations with Iran were in their “final throes,” reiterating his preference for a diplomatic agreement to the conflict rather than further military action.
“If we do the bombing, you know a lot of people are going to be killed. Who wants to do that? I don’t,” Trump told reporters in New York on Tuesday morning. “We’ll have a signed document that’s actually stronger than doing the bombing.”
