Citi, StanChart evacuate Dubai offices, HSBC closes Qatar branches

Citigroup and Standard Chartered have begun evacuating their Dubai offices, telling staff ‌to work from home instead, Reuters reported citing sources on Wednesday, as banks step up precautions after Iran threatened Gulf banking interests linked to the U.S. and Israel.

U.S. financial giant Citigroup told its staff to evacuate offices in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Dubai's Oud Metha neighbourhood, a memo sent to employees which was seen by Reuters shows, telling them ​to work from home until further notice.

Britain's StanChart has a large presence in the United Arab ⁠Emirates, with Dubai now a major financial hub for leading international lenders including JPMorgan and HSBC, as well as law firms and asset managers. Separately, HSBC has closed all branches in Qatar until further notice, according to a customer notice, saying the measure was to ​ensure the safety of staff and customers, Reuters reported.

The moves came after a spokesperson for Tehran's Khatam al-Anbiya military command headquarters said on Wednesday that Iran will target economic and banking interests linked to the U.S. and Israel in the region, after an attack on an Iranian bank.