British business travellers heading to the Gulf face fresh uncertainty after the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office updated its travel advice for the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia in response to escalating hostilities between the United States and Iran.
The changes, made to the ‘Warnings and Insurance’ section of each country’s guidance, follow a third consecutive night of US strikes on Iranian targets and renewed Iranian attacks on shipping. An Indian sailor was killed overnight when Iranian forces struck tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
The FCDO notes that Washington and Tehran have announced a memorandum of understanding in relation to the conflict, but warns this has not brought stability. “The US and Iran have announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in relation to the conflict in the Middle East. The situation remains unpredictable and attacks could resume at short notice,” the advisory states.
“Iran has carried out further attacks on the region since the MOU was agreed, and could do so again at short notice.”
The guidance sets out steps British nationals should take “should hostilities resume”, and points to Tehran’s stated targets before the ceasefire agreed on 8 April. “Before the 8 April ceasefire, the Iranian regime had stated its intention to target locations in the Gulf associated with the US and Israel. This included US or Israeli-linked organisations, businesses, facilities and institutions,” it says.
The advisory adds: “Iran has previously targeted civilian infrastructure across the region such as ports, hotels, roads, bridges, energy facilities, oil production sites, water systems, and airports.”
The four countries named are among the most important business destinations for UK companies in the region, and Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi remain the principal transit hubs for onward travel to Asia and Australasia. The conflict has already affected flight routes across the Middle East, and carriers have cancelled or rerouted services at short notice throughout the year.
The warning that Iran has previously struck hotels, airports and ports will concern travel managers with staff based in, or routed through, the Gulf. Companies with a duty of care to travelling employees should review itineraries against the latest country pages on gov.uk’s foreign travel advice service, which are updated as the situation develops.
The reference to insurance is significant. Policies can be invalidated where travel goes ahead against FCDO advice, and travellers transiting the region have already been caught out by insurance gaps when connections through Dubai or Doha collapsed. Anyone with Gulf travel booked should confirm with their insurer that cover remains valid under the current advice, and check the full UAE guidance on gov.uk before departure.
SMEs without a corporate travel management company should build contingency time into itineraries, keep bookings flexible and register travel plans so staff can be reached quickly if airspace closes again. With the FCDO warning that attacks could resume at short notice, the sensible assumption is that disruption across the region will continue into the autumn.
