US Embassy in UAE Temporarily Closes Due to Security Reasons

The United States Embassy in the United Arab Emirates announced on Monday the cancellation of all consular appointments across its diplomatic missions in the Gulf country for three days, from Monday to Wednesday. “The U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the U.S. Consulate General in Dubai have cancelled consular appointments on July 13-15, due to the regional security situation,” the US Embassy said in a statement. Members of the public with scheduled appointments from Monday to Wednesday at either the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi or the US Consulate General in Dubai were asked not to attend and will be rescheduled. “If you have an appointment on those dates, U.S. citizens do not need to come to the embassy or consulate. We will contact you to reschedule,” the statement read. The announcement came amid the latest military escalation between the United States and Iran. The US has launched several waves of strikes against Iran since its initial operation early on Wednesday last week. US Central Command stated the strikes were conducted in response to Iranian disruption of commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran subsequently retaliated by launching attacks on US military bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan.