The US Embassy in Qatar has ordered Americans in the nation to 'shelter in place' as fears grow that Iran is planning to retaliate for US strikes on its nuclear bomb factories.
The Embassy warned Americans to seek shelter 'out of an abundance of caution.' A shelter in place order mandates that people must stay indoors rather than try to evacuate. It did not say how long the shelter in place order is expected to last.
There are up to 15,000 American residents in Qatar, and the United States also has 19 military facilities in the Middle East nation.
Al Udeid in Qatar is the largest US military base in the Middle East, built in the wake of the first Gulf War. It is the main hub for American and British air operations in the Persian Gulf, hosting some 11,000 American troops and more than 100 aircraft, including strategic bombers, tankers and surveillance assets.
Qatar has served as an intermediary between the United States and Iran in the past and was coordinating negotiations over Iran's nuclear resources earlier this month before Israel ended the talks by attacking Iran on June 13.
