US cities on high alert after Iran strikes, additional forces in New York, Washington

The development came after the US struck three nuclear sites, Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordo, in Iran amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East region.

The US authorities are on high alert after the strikes in Iran, as New York and Washington have issued advisories and deployed additional forces.

Police departments across the US said that they were deploying additional forces to religious, cultural, and diplomatic sites in their cities. (AFP)

The New York Police Department said it is deploying additional forces to religious, cultural, and diplomatic sites across the city.

"We’re tracking the situation unfolding in Iran," the NYPD said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

“Out of an abundance of caution, we're deploying additional resources to religious, cultural, and diplomatic sites across NYC and coordinating with our federal partners. We’ll continue to monitor for any potential impact to NYC,” it said. Iran Israel war news LIVE updates

The development comes shortly after the US launched strikes against three nuclear facilities in Iran.

The Metropolitan Police Department said it is closely monitoring the events in Iran and actively coordinating with our local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.

“The Metropolitan Police Department is closely monitoring the events in Iran. We are actively coordinating with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to share information and monitor intelligence in order to help safeguard residents, businesses, and visitors in the District of Columbia,” the police department said.

“At this time, there are no known threats to the District. However, MPD has maintained an increased presence at religious institutions across the city. We continue to urge the public to remain vigilant and help keep our community safe,” it added.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also said that the city is “closely monitoring any threats to public safety” following the strikes in Iran.

“There are no known credible threats at this time and out of an abundance of caution, LAPD is stepping up patrols near places of worship, community gathering spaces and other sensitive sites,” Bass said in a post on X.

What happened in Iran?

The United States earlier in the day struck three nuclear sites in Iran, entering the Iran-Israel conflict and raising fears of a wider regional conflict.

US President Donald Trump, who addressed the nation from the White House after the strikes, said that Iran’s key nuclear were "completely and fully obliterated."

Iran, on the other hand, Iranian foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has said that Tehran has the right to defend itself against US' 'grave violation'.

“The United States, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has committed a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the NPT by attacking Iran's peaceful nuclear installations,” Araghchi said.

Yemen military group Houthi has said that the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities was the ‘beginning of war’.