Smartraveller has not downgraded its safety ratings for key transit hubs including Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, despite a sharp escalation in the Middle East this week that has seen the US and Iran exchange fresh strikes.
In a Facebook post yesterday evening, Smartraveller said: “The situation in the Middle East region remains unpredictable. Military strikes and reprisal attacks have occurred in a number of locations in the Middle East. There remains a risk of further attacks and escalation.”
The advisory continues to recommend against all travel to Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Yemen, and urges travellers to reconsider their need to travel to Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE. Smartraveller advised that anyone caught in a strike should follow local warning systems and, where an attack is imminent, move to an enclosed, hardened shelter.
What triggered the latest escalation
The update follows US President Donald Trump declaring on Wednesday that the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran was “over,” after Iran struck commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard reportedly launched missiles and drones at Kuwait and Bahrain – both hosts to US military bases. The US responded with a second consecutive night of strikes on Iranian targets.
“We hit them very hard last night,” Trump told reporters at the NATO summit in Ankara. “Very, very hard. Probably hit them hard again tonight.”
The exchange comes just three weeks after the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding intended to end the conflict – underscoring how quickly conditions in the region can shift, even after a formal ceasefire.
Why the ratings still matter for the trade
Smartraveller’s decision to hold current ratings is significant given the recent history. On 17 June, the federal government downgraded its advice for Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE from Level 4 (“Do not travel”) to Level 3 (“Reconsider your need to travel”), following an easing of hostilities at the time. Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Assistant Minister Matt Thistlethwaite said the shift reflected an assessment that conditions across the five countries were appropriate for Level 3. Some parts of Israel remain at Level 4.
That June downgrade came after more than 150,000 Australians had transited through the region in just six weeks, and after mounting pressure from the travel industry. ATIA had launched a “Campaign for Commonsense” push, arguing that the earlier Level 4 rating was voiding travel insurance for passengers merely transiting through hubs like Doha and Dubai, even as airlines including Emirates and Qatar Airways continued operating through the region.
For agents, the message for now is one of stability rather than fresh disruption: current advice levels stand, but Smartraveller’s own language – “unpredictable,” “risk of further attacks and escalation” – signals that could change quickly if the ceasefire collapse deepens.
Clients transiting Gulf hubs should be encouraged to monitor Smartraveller directly and confirm what their travel insurance actually covers at the current Level 3 rating, given how sensitive claims can be to the exact timing of any future rating change.
