The attack on Iran has pushed the Gulf into fighting, killing more than 600 people in Iran alone, not to mention at least 165 deaths in the US and Israeli attacks on a girls' school in southern Iran. Fighting has also killed dozens of civilians in Israel and Lebanon, causing global airlift chaos and disrupting cargo transportation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Many risks have occurred in the region, in which Kuwait mistakenly shot down 3 US F-15E fighter jets in Iran's attack. The US military said it attacked more than 1,250 targets in Iran and destroyed 11 Iranian ships. To date, 6 US military personnel have been killed, all in Iran's retaliatory attacks last weekend on Kuwait.
On March 3, Israel attacked Lebanon. Also on March 3, 2 drones attacked the US Embassy in Riyadh, causing minor damage and leading to a fire.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump showed no signs of an early end to the campaign in the Middle East. “From the beginning, we planned for 4-5 weeks, but we are likely to extend it much longer,” Mr. Trump said at the White House.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth emphasized that the attacks on Iran are aimed at paralyzing the Iranian navy, ending the country's nuclear and missile ambitions.
General Dan Caine - Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff - informed that the US military is strengthening forces in the Middle East, deploying more soldiers and fighter jets to this area.
This work is just beginning and will continue," he said, adding that when additional fighter jets arrive in the coming days, the US will "almost achieve its overall combat capability and overall combat power goals". He declined to specify the exact size of the overall force.
For its part, on March 2, Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and will fire at any ships trying to pass through the vital route transporting 1/5 of global oil and gas volume. The Strait of Hormuz is the world's most important oil export route, connecting the largest oil producers in the Gulf region, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
With the closure of Hormuz, Tehran has carried out a multi-year threat to blockade this vital waterway to retaliate against any attacks on the Islamic Republic of Iran. The blockade of the strait also took place after global sea transport through this area was interrupted by drone and missile attacks carried out by Houthi forces in Yemen since the conflict in Gaza broke out in 2023.
Governments around the world are also seeking to repatriate thousands of citizens stranded in the Middle East.
On March 2, the US State Department called on Americans to immediately leave 14 countries in the region, including all Gulf and Levant countries, due to "serious security risks" even though the closure of airspace has made evacuation difficult and not cheap. The US State Department has activated an emergency task force to protect US diplomatic facilities and support US citizens.
On March 2, Germany said it would deploy charter planes to Saudi Arabia and Oman in an effort to evacuate thousands of tourists stranded in the Middle East. On the same day, Italy announced it was helping evacuate hundreds of citizens from the United Arab Emirates. South Korea is also seeking to ensure the repatriation of about 2,000 citizens stranded in Dubai due to air travel disruptions.
Vietnamese people in Gulf countries are still safe
Vietnamese representative agencies in the Gulf region said that all Vietnamese people in the area are still safe.
Talking to VNA reporters in the Middle East - North Africa on the afternoon of March 2nd (local time), Vietnamese Ambassadors said that no cases of Vietnamese citizens being injured or killed or property damaged due to the impact of the conflict have been recorded.
In Qatar, the Vietnamese community has about 500 people. As of 16:00 on March 2nd (local time), the Embassy has not recorded any incidents related to citizens. The Embassy also maintains contact, requesting citizens to register and update personal information to serve protection and develop evacuation plans when needed. In case of emergency, you can contact the hotline: +974 77088920; Email: vietnamembassy. doha@gmail. com.
In the UAE, the Vietnamese community has more than 4,000 people and are all safe. Representative agencies continue to maintain communication channels, post recommendations via Facebook, Whatsapp, update protection and evacuation plans. Hotline: +971 50 129 9789.
In Kuwait, nearly 200 Vietnamese people are living and working. The Embassy continuously issues recommendations and requests contact when needed via +965 9975 8155 or +965 2531 1450.
The Vietnamese Embassy in Saudi Arabia, concurrently in charge of Bahrain and Oman, said that about 6,000 Vietnamese people in these 3 areas are still safe. Citizens are recommended to comply with local regulations, limit unnecessary movements and proactively plan to ensure safety. Contact for support via +966 114547887 or +966 595731500; Email: vnemb. sa@mofa. gov. vn.
Anh Vu
