The US Embassy is seen across the Tigris River in Baghdad, June 12, 2025. Photo: AP
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The U.S. Department of State issued a renewed travel advisory on Saturday, October 24, 2026, maintaining its highest “Level 4: Do Not Travel” warning for Iraq and urging American citizens to avoid travel to the country under any circumstances.
According to the advisory, Washington cited the inability of Iraqi authorities to guarantee the safety of foreign nationals in the event of sudden armed conflict or localized violence, while emphasizing the U.S. government’s severely constrained capacity to execute emergency evacuations or consular relief operations inside Iraqi territory.
The State Department warned of acute security and public health vulnerabilities, citing risks from terrorism, kidnappings, civil unrest, and frequent asymmetric strikes. It specified recurring hazards from improvised explosive devices (IEDs), unmanned aerial systems, and indirect rocket fire conducted by Iran-aligned armed groups and remnants of ISIS against U.S. personnel, diplomatic compounds, commercial companies, energy installations, and commercial airports.
The advisory also drew attention to regional escalation vectors—including cross-border hostilities conducted by the Houthi movement—as well as widespread unmarked minefields and UXO hazards, aviation restrictions implemented under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) notices, and severe structural shortages across Iraq’s trauma and emergency medical infrastructure.
In response to sustained security threats, strict operating restrictions remain enforced on U.S. diplomatic personnel, requiring special authorization for in-country travel and residency within heavily fortified protocols.
For private American citizens currently residing in Iraq, the State Department urged immediate contingency planning independent of U.S. governmental assistance, including enrolling in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), drafting emergency wills and power-of-attorney designations, leaving DNA reference samples with family medical providers, securing private medical and emergency evacuation insurance, and developing comprehensive personal departure protocols.