Six Days into Iran War, Americans Are Still Stuck in the Middle East
A view of a flight terminal at Dubai International Airport, the largest airport in the Middle East. Since the onset of the US bombing campaign against Iran, thousands of flights have been canceled across the Middle East, leaving travelers stranded. (Shutterstock/Plamen Galabov)
Six Days into Iran War, Americans Are Still Stuck in the Middle East
The State Department did not put plans in place to evacuate Americans from the Middle East prior to launching Operation Epic Fury—with chaotic results.
Americans are no strangers to disrupted travel plans. Powerful winter storms in late January caused more than 10,000 flight cancellations across the United States. Dangerous, often impassable road conditions further complicated travel for millions. It was frustrating, to say the least—but, for most travelers, more of a headache than a mortal threat.
Just over a month later, many Americans are stranded again—this time in a literal war zone!
Over the past weekend, the US Department of State urged Americans to leave 14 countries throughout the Middle East, as the Trump administration launched “Operation Epic Fury,” its campaign of airstrikes against Iran.
However, travelers trying to return to the United States have been caught off guard—not just by the attacks that have now ignited the largest conflict in the region in decades, but by the apparent failure to put any plan in place beyond merely telling Americans to leave.
“Please do not rely on the US government for assisted departure or evacuation. At this time, there are currently no United States evacuation points,” said an automated message on the hotline set up by the State Department over the weekend.
The State Department Is Setting Up Evacuation Procedures
As pressure mounted, the department finally sought to address the issue.
“The US Department of State is taking historic action to assist American citizens, who wish to depart the Middle East, return to the United States. In the past several days, over 9,000 American citizens have safely returned from the Middle East, including over 300 from Israel,” a spokesperson for the State Department announced on Tuesday.
“The Department is facilitating charter flights from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan for American citizens, and will continue to secure additional capacity as security conditions allow,” it said—confirming that the “statutory requirement for American citizens to reimburse the government for travel expenses” would be waived.
American Travelers Are Trapped in the Middle East
Travelers are telling a very different story, with the airspace in much of the Middle East closed. Most flights in and out of the UAE, which has come under Iranian missile attack, were canceled, according to flight-tracking services. Across the region, some 12,300 cancellations were reported from seven of the largest airports. Prices for private jets have surged as those with money and influence have sought to leave the potential conflict zone.
“We’re honestly trapped,” Sasha Hoffman, an American from Chicago, told CBS News on Tuesday. “It’s really frustrating that right now the US is saying ‘Americans come home’ when in reality we can’t come home.”
Other travelers have expressed similar frustration, saying they’ve been unable to reach anyone to ask for the assistance the State Department has said it is offering.
Complicating matters is that the US Embassy in Kuwait announced it was closed due to the ongoing conflict, and there is no word on when it could open.
Why the White House Didn’t Have an Evacuation Plan
On Tuesday, reporters asked President Donald Trump why there hadn’t been a plan to evacuate Americans who are essentially trapped in the Middle East.
“Well, because it happened all very quickly,” the president answered.
“We thought, and I thought maybe more so than most, I could ask [Secretary of State] Marco [Rubio], but I thought we were going to have a situation where we were going to be attacked,” Trump added, stating his rationale for launching the preemptive strikes on the Islamic Republic. “They were getting ready to attack Israel. They were getting ready to attack others. You’re seeing that right now. And a lot of those missiles that are hitting in those are stationary. Those were aimed there for a long period of time at these other countries.”
A plan to evacuate Americans is now finally taking shape. Stranded travelers must register for the State Department Travel Advisory Program (STEP), which will allow the government to alert Americans to travel opportunities.
“They have to register with us because as these options begin to open up and as they open up, we have to be able to call you and to reach you and to know where you are staying so that we can get this information to you and coordinate appropriately,” Rubio told reporters.
The plan hardly seems cohesive.
“It will be a variety of methods, charter flights, military flights, transports, expanded commercial opportunities, and in some cases, land routes that will allow them to go to neighboring countries that might have open airports,” Rubio said. “It’s a lot of different things that need to happen in order to move people but it all starts by knowing that you’re there.”
For the stranded Americans, being there remains the problem.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines, and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.
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