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The U.S. State Department ordered all embassies and consular posts worldwide to "immediately" undertake security reviews on Wednesday, citing "the ongoing and developing situation in the Middle East and the potential for spill-over effects."
Armed groups assessed to be linked to Iran have conducted approximately 292 attacks on American facilities globally since the war began on Feb. 28.
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The order, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and initiated by Undersecretary of State for Management Jason Evans, instructed "ALL posts worldwide to immediately convene" Emergency Action Committees to review their security posture and report findings back to Washington, according to a cable reviewed by The Washington Post and NBC News.
The directive also requires confirmation that an EAC has taken place and that U.S. citizens, both officials and non-officials, "have been notified where appropriate."
A State Department spokesperson said the department does not comment on internal communications, and noted that embassies in the region had regularly conducted emergency action committees before the U.S. offensive against Iran began.
While similar orders have been sent to diplomatic posts in the Middle East in recent weeks, this order marked the first time that all posts globally had been ordered to review their security posture due to the war on Iran.
Multiple U.S. embassies have been targeted by Iran and its proxies since the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign on Iran started.
The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was left partially "unrecoverable" after a drone attack, with parts of the roof "collapsed" and other areas contaminated by smoke, according to assessments reviewed by The Washington Post.
Several missions have temporarily closed, and U.S. personnel have been ordered to leave several countries.
Beyond the Middle East, incidents have also occurred in other regions, including gunshots outside the U.S. Consulate in Toronto, an explosion near the U.S. Embassy in Oslo and a strike on an apartment building housing American diplomats in Israel.
On Tuesday and earlier Wednesday, three explosive-laden drones targeted the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad, Türkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) reporter on the ground said.
The embassy's air defense system intercepted and destroyed two of the drones, while a third struck a wall of the compound, sparking a fire in the surrounding area.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's media office said the government condemned the attack, describing it as a "terrorist assault" on Iraq's sovereignty and a criminal act. Sudani, who is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, directed security agencies to pursue those responsible and bring them to justice.
The attack came as the U.S. and Israel have continued a joint offensive on Iran since Feb. 28, killing around 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting U.S. military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.
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