US Orders Its Citizens to Leave Qatar as Turkey Signals Potential Retaliation Against Iran

US Embassy in Qatar urges its citizens to depart the country promptly following a March 3 State Department order for non-emergency government employees and their families to leave Qatar amid threats of armed conflict. The advisory said airspace and maritime routes remain closed, and that the Salwa border crossing with Saudi Arabia is currently open.

Turkey’s Ministry of Defence said NATO had intercepted ballistic missiles launched from Iran, with the projectiles shot down in the Dortyol district near the Mediterranean Sea and no casualties reported. It stressed that Turkey is capable of guaranteeing the security of its territory and its citizens and reserved the right to respond to any acts of hostility against the country.

Qatar’s government asserted that it is not at war with Iran, but is exercising its right to defend national sovereignty. The crisis has spilled into regional diplomacy, including interactions in Riyadh and Doha; Iran’s top security official Ali Larijani said Iran would not negotiate with the United States. The Directorate General of Immigration in Indonesia said it was on standby at all air immigration checkpoints as airspace closures in several Middle Eastern states, including Qatar, continued. Erdogan and Mohammed bin Salman spoke by phone, emphasising the importance of dialogue and diplomacy for regional and global security.