Renewed Iran conflict drawing travel safety concerns
Iran conflict drawing travel safety concerns
The State Department is warning Americans traveling overseas to stay vigilant following the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
LOS ANGELES - The State Department is warning Americans traveling overseas to stay vigilant following the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
The concern is that Americans overseas could be targeted as the U.S. and Iran have launched recent attacks. But people should not just be mindful of air travel. People may also feel the impact when they fill up their tanks with gas.
Due to heightened tensions in the Middle East, the State Department is advising Americans abroad to remain vigilant because of the possibility of flight cancellations and other travel disruptions. The "worldwide caution" alert warns that groups supportive of Iran could target Americans and American interests abroad.
"We're certainly keeping tabs on it, but at this time, we don't foresee any issues with that," a traveler at LAX's Tom Bradley International Terminal said Monday.
In June, the U.S. and Iran reached an interim agreement with the hope of ending the conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. But the peace deal has now seemingly unraveled.
"Iran a week ago was supposed to put out a statement saying that the Strait of Hormuz would be opened and that they would no longer attack shipping. And instead of doing that, they attacked three ships. I think that was last Friday or Saturday," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday. "So, I mean, their behavior has to change in order for ours to change."
People also seem to be feeling the impact of the conflict at the pump.
"As we resumed and re-escalated the war, gas prices have jumped right back to where they were at about the same time a couple of months ago when the war was raging," said Alex Jacquez, senior vice president of policy at Groundwork Collaborative.
Gas prices are now back up to an average of $4 a gallon nationwide. According to AAA, that's about 13 cents more expensive than it was a week ago.
Policy experts say, based on recent developments in the Middle East, gas and oil prices may continue to rise.
"If markets believe the Strait is going to be closed for at least the foreseeable future, those prices are going to continue to rise. Then we will see the physical delivery shortfall that we saw before, with diesel prices, gas prices and airline fuel jumping up to near-record highs," said Jacquez.
The State Department says U.S. citizens and nationals can sign up for its Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive the latest security and safety alerts for their destination.