The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday night issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAMS) establishing a no-fly zone over Iraq and Iran, plus nearby seas, after airstrikes were launched on US personnel in the region.
In a statement, the FAA said it was prohibiting US civil aviation operators from flying over airspace over Iraq, Iran, and the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
It warned of "potential for miscalculation or mis-identification" for civilian aircraft, according to Associated Press.
"The FAA will continue closely monitoring events in the Middle East," the statement said.
"We continue coordinating with our national security partners and sharing information with US air carriers and foreign civil aviation authorities."
According to AP, orders like this are meant to prevent civilian planes from being mistaken for military aircraft during an armed conflict.
The ban does not affect non-US carriers, though it is likely that many airlines around the world will follow the guidance anyway.
The airspace over those areas is remarkably busy, and is a major transit route for flights in and out of the United Arab Emirates.
Not long after the order was issued, hundreds of flights were flying in the affected zone, where it was still before dawn.
The warning follows an escalation in violence between the US and Iran over the killing of Iran's top general Qassem Soleimani in an airstrike last week.
On Tuesday night, Iran fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles at two bases in Iraq hosting US and Iraqi military personnel in retaliation for the attack.
President Donald Trump in a tweet not long after the attack said he was not aware of any casualties or significant damage.
He wrote: "All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far! I will be making a statement tomorrow morning."
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