US-Israel versus Iran War Spreads Across the Region: Pakistan in Chaos, Iraq in Blackout

Geopolitical tensions arising from the United States and Israel’s war against Iran are spreading to other regions, notably Pakistan and Iraq. In Pakistan, the US government on Wednesday local time ordered non-emergency consular staff at its two consulates in Karachi and Lahore to leave the country amid rising security concerns and anti-US and anti-Israel protests that turned chaotic. ‘The Department of State has ordered non-emergency government employees and their family members at the consulates in Lahore and Karachi to depart Pakistan due to safety risks,’ the US Embassy in Islamabad said in a statement, cited by AFP on Thursday 5 March 2026, while emphasising that there is no change to the operating status in Islamabad. The step followed at least 25 people killed in weekend protests opposing the US-Israel attack on Iran, with hundreds of demonstrators reportedly attempting to storm the US consulate in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city. The action also followed earlier notices allowing non-emergency staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Cyprus, with US citizens advised to reconsider travel to those states as well. Cyprus’s case has been notable given its EU membership, following alerts after an Iranian-made drone, allegedly launched by Hizbollah in Lebanon, targeted a British military base there. In addition, a drone was reported to have damaged the US Embassy building in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Washington said it was preparing evacuation plans for US nationals, noting that commercial flights in the region were disrupted by the conflict. In Iraq, the war’s impact was felt with the Electricity Ministry announcing a nationwide blackout on Wednesday. ‘The electricity network has completely collapsed across Iraq,’ the ministry said, quoted by the Iraqi News Agency (INA). Officials said the outage was triggered by a sudden drop in gas supply to the Rumaila power plant in Basra Province, causing a loss of around 1,900 megawatts in a short period, with restoration expected to be gradual. Iraq has been among the most affected by the Middle East conflict, with several areas repeatedly targeted amid the widening US-Israel vs Iran confrontation. The fighting has intensified since the United States and Israel launched strikes last Saturday that killed Iran’s top leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, just two days after resuming nuclear talks in Geneva. Since then, Iran has expanded its retaliatory attacks with missiles and drones across the region.