Travelers to hot spot sternly warned by State Department as officials deny wider Gulf shutdown

Americans traveling in and through the Middle East have a new wrinkle to sort out.

The U.S. State Department has pushed back against circulating reports that it directed nonessential government personnel and their dependents to leave the entire Gulf region, clarifying that the departure order applies only to Saudi Arabia.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott dismissed the broader regional claims, calling them "inaccurate" after the department released a formal statement confirming the targeted drawdown within the kingdom.