WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. government is closing all embassies in the Middle East and parts of Asia Sunday because of a possible threat from al-Qaida, officials told NBC News.
The United States has been "apprised of information that out of an abundance of caution and care for our employees and others who may be visiting our installations, that indicates we should institute these precautionary steps," State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told NBC Thursday.
Harf said the closings could be extended "depending on our analysis" and did not indicate which or how many embassies would be closed.
A senior State Department official told NBC all embassies that are normally open on Sundays would be closed Sunday, Aug. 4, "out of an abundance of caution."
Sunday is a workday in most Middle East countries.
The official said the threat, which seems to have originated in the Middle East, was aimed at overseas diplomatic posts and not the U.S. homeland.
Iran will inaugurate Hassan Rouhani as its next president Sunday, which also happens to be U.S. President Barack Obama's birthday.
Neither event was thought to be linked to the threat on diplomatic posts, NBC said.
