U.S. Urges Evacuation From 14 Middle Eastern Countries After Strikes on Iran
U.S. ordered Americans to 'DEPART NOW' from 14 Middle Eastern countries after March 1 strikes on Iran and subsequent Iranian retaliatory attacks disrupted travel and closed airspace.
New York PostThousands of Americans are stranded in Middle East since start of Iran war — with no clear way out
Salon"Did not help us at all": Hundreds of Americans stranded overseas following Iran strikes
Business InsiderThe US is urging Americans to leave these 14 Middle Eastern countries. See the list.
Christian Science MonitorEvacuate? Some Americans living in the Middle East wish they could.
Daily BeastWhite House Called Out for Chaos as Thousands of Americans Forced to Flee
Overview
The U.S. State Department urged Americans to "DEPART NOW" from 14 Middle Eastern countries due to "serious safety risks," officials said.
On March 1 the U.S. and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury against Iran, striking military targets and killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after which Iran launched retaliatory strikes in Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said about 1,500 Americans are requesting evacuation assistance and the department has answered nearly 3,000 calls while working to secure charter, military and commercial flights, officials said.
Sources gave differing counts on returns, saying roughly 9,000 to 17,500 Americans have returned and that the State Department has assisted about 6,500 citizens abroad, amid criticism that officials lacked prior evacuation planning.
U.S. officials said they are exploring charter flights, freeing military C-17 seats and identifying commercial options, while many embassies and consulates have suspended operations or warned they cannot assist evacuations.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the coverage as a government failure to protect Americans, emphasizing delayed and disorganized evacuation. They use loaded terms ("disorganized," "absolutely cavalier"), prioritize stranded expatriates and critics over official explanations, highlight contrast with European evacuations, and foreground the 'Why We Wrote This' editorial framing linking costs to the administration.
FAQ
The U.S. State Department urged Americans to depart immediately from 14 Middle Eastern countries due to serious safety risks, with specific mentions including Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, among others.
The orders followed Operation Epic Fury on March 1, where the U.S. and Israel struck Iranian military targets, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, prompting Iranian retaliatory strikes in Bahrain, Kuwait, and the UAE, leading to airspace closures and disrupted travel.
The State Department has assisted about 6,500 citizens with guidance and is organizing charter flights, military C-17 seats, and commercial options from UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan; roughly 9,000 to 17,500 Americans have returned amid nearly 3,000 assistance calls.
The State Department hotline states the U.S. is not providing assisted departure evacuations at this time with no evacuation points available, though they are organizing flights and urging registration with embassies; some embassies like Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have shut down operations.
Critics, including former ambassador Jeffrey Feltman, called it a 'complete dereliction of duty' due to lack of prior planning before strikes, with most diplomatic missions not evacuating until after the war began and initial alerts issued late.
