US carrier approaches Israel as China, Canada urge citizens to leave Iran

As the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford moved through the eastern Mediterranean and approached Israel on Friday, a growing number of countries issued evacuation warnings amid mounting fears of a US-Iran conflict. The Ford's deployment is part of a wider US naval and air buildup that includes stealth fighter jets and missile-defense-equipped destroyers.

China became the latest country to urge its citizens to leave Iran on Friday. Beijing’s Foreign Ministry and its embassy in Tehran advised Chinese nationals to take heightened security precautions and evacuate via commercial flights or land routes while they remain available as uncertainty grows over whether the United States will act if nuclear talks collapse.

Earlier in the day, Canada urged its citizens to leave Iran immediately, warning that hostilities “could resume with little or no warning.” They join a growing list of governments including Germany, India and Brazil that have issued urgent travel advisories or evacuation warnings in recent days as concerns mount that a US-Iran confrontation could quickly draw in regional actors and proxies. 

Also on Friday, the US Embassy in Israel authorized the departure of non-emergency American personnel and advised US citizens to leave the country while commercial flights remain available. 

Nationwide protests rocked Iran in late December and January, and Iran's security forces responded to the protests with lethal force. According to a Feb. 15 report by the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, at least 7,015 people have been killed since the demonstrations began. At the height of the protests, President Donald Trump promised that the US would intervene should Iran kill protesters. 

Iran has repeatedly threatened retaliation should the US take military action. Earlier this month, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Iran would target US bases in the region if the US attacks Iranian territory.