The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has issued an urgent security update covering 16 countries across the Middle East and its neighbours, including the UAE, Egypt, Oman and Turkey, warning that the risk of sudden escalation is high.
The update follows signals of a potentially intense military escalation after the US midterm elections. According to The Mirror, several Gulf countries have been told to prepare for a short but intense military campaign in Iran after the elections next week.
Regional tensions and travel disruption warnings
The FCDO update warns of “regional tensions” and states: “The context in the Middle East remains deeply unpredictable, and the risk of sudden escalation is high.”
The advisory also notes that since conflict began in early 2026, Iran has stated its intention to target locations associated with the US and Israel, including organisations, businesses, facilities and institutions. It adds that there have been strikes and retaliatory attacks by Iran and others across the region against civilian and US military infrastructure.
The FCDO advises British nationals in, or planning to travel through, the Middle East to be prepared for possible flight cancellations, airspace closures and travel disruption. It also gives guidance on taking shelter, recommending that people stay indoors or find the nearest safe building or designated shelter, and avoid touching drone or missile fragments.
Current travel status for key destinations
With the new advisory in place, the FCDO now considers many destinations in the Middle East, including Dubai, safe for travel. This follows a four-month-long “do not travel” advisory, which was lifted on June 18 after an agreement to end regional hostilities.
Every year, more than a million British tourists travel to the UAE for holidays in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. In 2025, Dubai alone welcomed 1.3 million visitors from the UK.
After US and Israeli strikes on Iran led to the closure of Gulf airspace on February 28, much of the Middle East airspace was shut down, causing thousands of flight cancellations and prompting the FCDO to issue do-not-travel advisories.
No current warnings for Dubai, Oman and Jordan
There is no travel warning for countries like Dubai, Oman and Jordan at the moment, but the FCDO says the situation in the Middle East “remains unpredictable”.
The Foreign Office's “safe to travel” warnings show the level of risk involved in visiting a particular country or region. These warnings help British nationals make informed choices about their travel plans but they do not decide whether travel is allowed.
If the FCDO advises against travel to a destination, travel insurance will probably not cover the traveller, and consular support may not be available if something goes wrong. The 16 countries included in the coordinated regional security update are Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Syria.
