The virtual US embassy in Iran advised all Americans residing in the Persian country to leave the territory immediately or, at least, adopt an exit plan that does not depend on help from Washington.
In a statement, the virtual diplomatic legation – as the US has not had a physical embassy in Tehran since the rupture of diplomatic relations in 1980 – recommends that, if they cannot leave, they “seek a safe place inside their residence or other building”.
“Security measures are being intensified, roads are being closed, public transport is interrupted and the internet is blocked. The Iranian government continues to restrict access to mobile and fixed networks and the national internet. Airlines continue to limit or cancel flights to and from Iran”, says the note.
American citizens “should expect continued internet outages, plan alternative means of communication, and, if it is safe to do so, consider leaving Iran by land toward Armenia or Turkey,” the text details.
Among the actions to be taken, Washington proposes that its citizens leave now or that they “have a plan to leave Iran that does not depend on assistance from the US government.”
“It is possible that flight cancellations and interruptions may occur with minimal prior notice,” the note adds, noting that if they cannot leave, they should “seek a safe place within their residence or other building and keep supplies of food, water, medicines and other essential items.”
Individuals with dual American and Iranian nationality are advised to use their Iranian documents, as “presenting an American passport or demonstrating ties to the US may be sufficient reason for Iranian authorities to detain someone.”
The statement also provides information on all border crossings that Iran currently keeps open and through which Americans can leave the country.
The publication of this statement comes at a time of maximum tension between the USA and Iran, after American President Donald Trump threatened several times to attack the country if the repression of protests against the Persian regime continued.
The measure also coincides with the start of negotiations in Oman between both countries this Friday, in the first meeting between Iranian and American authorities since the 12-day war between Iran and Israel, in which the USA participated by bombing Iranian nuclear facilities.
The negotiations are being carried out under threats from Donald Trump to intervene militarily in the Persian country, for which he mobilized the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its combat group – made up of three missile-launching destroyers – close to Iranian waters in the Persian Gulf.
