Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday said that the US has helped 9,000 Americans depart the Middle East since the start of the conflict with Iran, while around 1,500 still require assistance.
“It is very important…we need to know where you are. We need to have contact information for Americans that need assistance. They have to register with us so we can act quickly to reach them and get them out of harm’s way,” Rubio said while speaking at a press conference.
“We have about 1,500 Americans that are requesting assistance with departure. We have identified and continued to identify charter flights, military flight options, and expanded commercial flight options, meaning working with the airlines to send bigger airplanes with more seats, and a combination of those three things,” he added.
He highlighted that airspace closure remains the major impediment in evacuating Americans from the conflict region.
The State Department is coordinating a mix of charter flights, military flights, expanded commercial options, and land routes to neighboring countries with open airports. Rubio acknowledged challenges, noting, “We’ve had a couple instances in which we have planes in the air…and unfortunately the airspace gets closed and they have to turn back around. So we’re working through those challenges.”
He also confirmed that diplomatic facilities, including the U.S. consulate in Dubai, have faced direct attacks but all personnel are accounted for.
The US‑Israeli attacks on Iran and Tehran’s subsequent counterattacks on Gulf states have intensified tensions in the Middle East, posing a threat to both regional and global peace and stability.
