Iran shuts down airspace; foreign officials warn against travel to Israel
Iran issued a notice to airmen (NOTAM) alert late Wednesday, closing airspace to all flights except international flights with prior permission from the country.
The NOTAM will be in effect for just over two hours.
Flight tracking data showed multiple planes were either denied entry to Iran or rerouted around the country, according to the Flight Radar 24 website.
IRANIANS ABLE TO MAKE SOME INTERNATIONAL CALLS AS INTERNET REMAINS BLOCKED AMID PROTESTS
Minutes later, the U.S. embassies in Jerusalem, Qatar and Kuwait issued security alerts advising "increased caution," limiting non-essential travel to Al Udeid Air Base, and temporarily halting movement into facilities at Camp Arifjan, Camp Buehring, Ali Al Salem Air Base and Camp Patrio.
The U.K. Foreign Office (FCDO) also issued an advisory recommending against "all but essential travel to Israel."
"There is a heightened risk of regional tension," officials wrote in the advisory. "Escalation could lead to travel disruption and other unanticipated impacts."
A U.S. official told Reuters Wednesday the Department of War was moving personnel amid rising tensions.
"All the signals are that a U.S. attack is imminent, but that is also how this administration behaves to keep everyone on their toes. Unpredictability is part of the strategy," a Western military official told the outlet.
Hours before the NOTAM alert was issued, President Donald Trump told reporters from the Oval Office the killing of protesters in Iran had ended.
TRUMP SAYS IRAN 'STARTING TO' CROSS US RED LINES AS PROTESTERS DIE IN GOVERNMENT CRACKDOWN
"We've been told that the killing in Iran is stopping, and it's stopped and stopping, and there's no plan for executions or an execution," Trump said. "So, I've been told that on good authority. We'll find out about."
When asked about potential military action against the country, Trump said, "We're going to watch and see what the process is.
"We were given a very good, very good statement by people that are aware of what's going on."
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime has recently come under fire, with reports claiming more than 3,000 people have been killed amid nationwide protests over economic grievances and political repression.
Trump announced Tuesday he canceled all meetings with Iranian officials until the killings stopped.
In a statement Wednesday, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) said Khamenei, through the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), "has turned his weapons against our people, while young Iranians, armed with little more than determination, have risen to defend and protect unarmed and innocent civilians."
"In this ruthless confrontation, in which thousands of innocent Iranians have been killed over the past two weeks, neutrality is not an option," NCRI president-elect Maryam Rajavi wrote in a statement on X. "At a minimum, the international community must recognize the legitimate struggle of Iran’s youth and Resistance Units against the #IRGC to bring an end to this regime.
"European governments must designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization, an action long overdue. The regime’s embassies and representative offices should be closed, and its envoys expelled."
The Iranian United Nations (UN) ambassador later sent a letter to the UN, accusing Iranian protesters of "deliberately inciting violence" and "equipping terrorist and armed groups to turn peaceful protests into political destabilization."
Danny Danon, Israel's Ambassador to the UN, shared the letter on X, calling it "beyond belief."
"This is the same regime that shoots protesters, hangs opponents, and oppresses an entire people," Danon wrote in the post. "These are nothing but crocodile tears from a murderous regime."
Fox News Digital's Emma Colton contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
