Foreign Secretary rushes to Commons with emergency warning as Gulf state shuts airspace and fears mount of ‘catastrophic’ retaliation
British nationals in Qatar have been ordered to ‘shelter in place until further notice’ in an extraordinary emergency alert as the Middle East teeters on the brink of catastrophic war.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy rushed to the Commons this afternoon with the dramatic warning, telling MPs: “This is an ongoing and fast-moving situation.”
The unprecedented order came after the US Embassy in Doha issued the alert ‘out of an abundance of caution’, sparking immediate copycat warnings from Britain and Canada.
On its travel advice page for Qatar, the UK Government website says: “Following a US security alert for US nationals in Qatar, out of an abundance of caution, we recommend that British nationals in Qatar shelter in place until further notice.
Qatar closes airspace in dramatic escalation
In a move that sent shockwaves through the region, Qatar’s ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement Monday that the country was temporarily suspending “air traffic in the country’s airspace, in order to ensure the safety of citizens, residents, and visitors. This is a temporary measure to ensure the safety during the current situation in the region.”
The Gulf state — which hosts Al-Udeid Air Base, the largest US base in the Middle East with some 8,000 U.S. troops based at al-Udeid — appears to be bracing for potential Iranian retaliation.
‘Prepared to defend our assets’
Speaking in the Commons, Lammy warned MPs that the crisis could spiral out of control within days — or even hours.
The situation presents serious risks to British interests in the region,” David Lammy says “Be in no doubt, we are prepared to defend our personnel, our assets and those of our allies and partners,” the foreign secretary adds
He revealed that advice for British nationals in the region “may need to be further updates over the course of the next few days” as the situation deteriorates.
The Foreign Secretary also disclosed that more than 4,000 British nationals in Israel have registered interest in repatriation flights, following a Government appeal made last week.
US strikes that sparked the crisis
The emergency measures follow US military aircraft targeted three nuclear facilities in Iran over the weekend in what’s been described as a devastating blow to Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
The Telegraph reported that there are fears the US attack which “obliterated” three Iranian nuclear sites could trigger a wider conflict.
Iran has vowed revenge, with Two US officials have warned that Washington believes Iran is set to carry out strikes US forces in the next day or two, Reuters reported.
Trump’s stark warning
President Donald Trump has issued a chilling warning to Iran, saying any retaliation will be “met with force far greater than what was witnessed” this past weekend.
The threat comes as Tehran has threatened economic and military war across the Midde East including the UK and other parts of the world.
British military on highest alert
On Monday the Defence Secretary has placed British military bases across the Middle East and in Cyprus on their “highest level” of readiness for any potential attack following the US airstrikes on Iran.
Earlier this month, Sir Keir Starmer sent warplanes to the Middle East following Tehran threatening to attack UK’s military bases and ships should they get involved with Israel attacking Iranian nuclear sites.
Qatari officials try to calm fears
Despite the dramatic measures, the Qatari foreign ministry’s spokesman says that a number of embassies have issued advisories for their citizens to take precautions while in the country. However, he added that these “do not necessarily reflect the existence of specific threats”.
The spokesman insisted the security situation in the country is stable, and that the public will be kept informed of any developments that require alerts or action.
“We would like to reassure the public that the security situation in the state remains stable,” he wrote on X. “Qatar continues to exert intensive diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region.”
Worldwide alert for Americans
The Qatar warning came less than 24 hours after On Sunday, the US State Department advised Americans worldwide to “exercise increased caution” because of the war between Israel and Iran.
The State Department warned there was “the potential for demonstrations against US citizens and interests abroad” and that the conflict had “resulted in disruptions to travel and periodic closure of airspace across the Middle East.
‘Millimetres from catastrophe’
The unprecedented shelter-in-place order for British nationals in Qatar — a normally stable Gulf state that’s set to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup — underscores just how dangerous the situation has become.
With Iran threatening retaliation, US forces on high alert, and airspace closing across the region, the Middle East appears to be standing on the edge of a precipice.
For the thousands of Britons in Qatar tonight, the order to shelter in place will be a terrifying reminder of how quickly the region can descend into chaos — and how a conflict between superpowers could engulf even the most stable corners of the Gulf.
Destruction in Bat Yam after Israeli civilian buildings were struck by an Iranian missile—15 June 2025
Photo by Yoav Keren/VRT, taken on 15 June 2025 at 06:03:40, used under the Creative Commons Attribution‑ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license
