Gulf Arabs, especially Saudis, planning to spend their summer holidays in the US are becoming increasingly worried about North Korea’s threat to bomb the American mainland and other territories.

Tensions flared last month when Pyongyang canceled its nonaggression pact with South Korea and disconnected a crisis hotline. Only days ago, it closed down a factory it shared with South Korea, in retaliation for a new round of UN sanctions over its nuclear program.

North Korea has reportedly been busy mobilizing soldiers, moving its nuclear missiles closer to its east coast and preparing to test fire missiles in the coming days. It said it plans to strike US territories including Guam and the Hawaiian Islands, and the western mainland United States, according to the US media.

“I am very concerned about the dangerous scenario unfolding between North Korea and the US, since I have been planning to take my family to America for the past nine months,” Ayman Redwan, a Saudi father of four and graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), told Arab News.

He added that he chose to plan a vacation to the US primarily due to the lack of available tourist destinations in the Gulf and Middle East. “Because of the protests and violence in most Arab states, there is really nowhere to choose from, but if the US seems to be getting itself into a war, I will immediately cancel all travel plans,” he said.

Another Saudi with plans to visit the US was also concerned. “I have been watching the local Arabic and international news to get an idea if I should go ahead and apply for a tourist visa to the US or opt to visit Europe or another destination,” Feher Al-Madani, a Saudi business owner said. He added that he was previously planning to visit Dubai, but after evaluating costs and that city’s proximity to Iran, which is experiencing tensions of its own, thought that visiting the US would be the best option. “Now these plans could be in jeopardy too,” he said.

Arab News contacted the US Embassy in Riyadh to ask if there were any travel warnings for travelers to the US. “Currently, all US embassies are monitoring the situation. No travel advisories have been posted so far from the US State Department. However, if there is a threat to tourists or travelers, advisories will be posted immediately on our websites,” an official at the US Embassy in Riyadh said.