Americans Stranded in the Middle East Aren’t Getting Help from the State Department

The Trump administration has not been helping U.S. citizens make travel plans to evacuate the Middle East, despite urging Americans to “depart now” from 16 countries in the region as the war with Iran continues to escalate.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted a video Tuesday morning telling stranded Americans that they can call a State Department hotline for assistance. But Americans who call the hotline are currently receiving the message that there is no travel help available.

“Please do not rely on the U.S. government for assisted departure or evacuation. At this time, there are currently no United States evacuation points,” read an automated message on the hotline when NOTUS called the State Department number Tuesday afternoon.

A person did eventually pick up the phone.

Two American citizens stuck in the United Arab Emirates told NOTUS that they called the hotline for help with travel plans and received none. Many more shared similar experiences in the replies to Rubio’s video online.

“They are absolutely disinterested, no sense of urgency,” James Blunt, a U.S. businessman who was stranded in the United Arab Emirates, told NOTUS.

When Blunt called the State Department hotline Monday after seeing the warning for urgent departure, the person on the other end repeatedly told him to register for a STEP account (a State-Department travel advisory program) but had no other assistance to offer.

Airports in Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Syria, and Israel have been closed, and most major airlines in the region have stopped most flights. The UAE and Saudi Arabia are offering limited commercial flight options.

On Tuesday, the administration said it is working to secure plans to evacuate Americans.

Shortly after publication, the State Department issued a statement that said the agency was helping Americans book flights home.

“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. Commercial aviation options remain available in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, and Egypt, and the Department is actively helping American citizens book those tickets,” the statement said.

NOTUS again called the State Department hotline after State’s announcement, and the message telling Americans not to rely on the U.S. for travel assistance remained the same.

“The United States State Department is actively working on plans to help Americans in the Middle East return home,” wrote White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt Tuesday afternoon on X.

“Yes, the State Department is actively securing military aircraft and charter flights for American citizens who wish to leave the Middle East,” wrote Dylan Johnson, the Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs, on Tuesday afternoon, nearly 24 hours after the State Department first posted urging U.S. citizens to immediately depart the region.

When a reporter asked President Donald Trump on Tuesday why Americans remained stranded in the region, he said: “Well, because it happened all very quickly.”

While the State Department hotline was unable to help most Americans on Monday and Tuesday, the Trump administration appeared to provide special assistance to political consultant and Trump advisor Alex Bruesewitz.

Bruesewitz was stranded in the region after conflict broke out, but secured an exit with help from White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair and US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle, according to his post on X.

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The administration’s lack of immediate evacuation planning has prompted outrage from Democrats.

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner’s office told NOTUS that his office had received requests for help from dozens of people in the UAE, Qatar, Iraq, and Israel.

“My office is receiving panicked calls from Americans stuck in the Middle East, outraged that our government has provided zero evacuation support,” New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim wrote on X Tuesday afternoon.

One person still stranded in the UAE with two other U.S. citizens told NOTUS that she received no answer on the State Department hotline during two phone calls yesterday.

NOTUS reviewed an email from the U.S. embassy in the UAE that says: “Please continue to shelter in place if you are not able to depart.”

Blunt eventually managed to secure himself a commercial flight out of the region through one of the few airlines still operating flights, without the assistance of the U.S. government.

He said that he flew into the region in late January after reviewing State Department recommendations that did not caution against travel to the UAE.

The UAE government, not the U.S. government, eventually covered the cost of his hotel and taxi to the airport, he said.