US Orders Gulf Embassy Evacuations as Netanyahu Directs IDF and Mossad to Prepare Overthrow of Iranian Regime

The United States State Department is preparing to issue an ordered departure of some personnel and family members from American embassies across the Gulf region, three US officials confirmed to Reuters, citing a possible resumption of hostilities with Iran. The move mirrors a nearly identical step taken on February 23 and 27, just days before the joint US-Israeli military operation against Iran began in late February 2026.

The evacuation order follows a sharp escalation in rhetoric from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who publicly instructed the IDF, Mossad, and all Israeli security agencies to prepare for the overthrow of Iran's leadership, declaring regime change "the only way to eliminate the threat once and for all." Netanyahu cited Iran's alleged resumption of nuclear weapons development as justification. This marks a significant shift from June 2025, when Netanyahu said regime change was not a formal Israeli objective. The announcement was accompanied by reports of Iron Dome Tamir interceptor missiles being transported through northern Israel for loading into defense batteries.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made an unannounced visit to Ovda Airbase in Israel on Tuesday, meeting with Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz for roughly ninety minutes, with Iran as the central topic. IDF Chief of Staff Zamir and senior military officers were excluded from the meeting, which was confined to the political level. A security source said renewed strikes on Iran appear inevitable but are unlikely before Israel's elections and the US midterm elections, the latter of which reportedly led Trump to halt a fully prepared Israeli multi-day bombing campaign earlier this month, according to the Financial Times, over concerns about an energy price spike.

Iran responded on multiple fronts. A senior unnamed Iranian security official told state-run Press TV that Tehran has placed its military on its highest alert and made a "definitive decision" to respond without limits to any new attack, whether by the US or Israel acting jointly or independently. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in a Financial Times op-ed, offered a diplomatic off-ramp, saying Iran would give talks another chance if the US showed sincere intent to build trust and reach a just solution, but warned that choosing war would result in "an even greater strategic failure." Separately, Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf met with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to discuss the conflict, though state television released no photographs or video of the meeting. Khamenei has not made a public appearance since assuming the role of supreme leader.

The US Embassy also posted a security alert regarding Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, and the Treasury Department issued Iran General License HH, authorizing the offloading of cargo involving certain blocked vessels. Likely Gulf embassies affected by the departure order include those in Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Kuwait.