U.S. issues worldwide caution, urges Americans in Middle East to depart immediately—but cancelled flights, closed airports make evacuation difficult
By Miriam Raftery
March 4, 2026 (Washington D.C.) – Following the U.S. and Israeli military attacks on Iran and Iran’s retaliatory bombings in cities across the Middle East, the U.S. State Department is urging Americans worldwide to be cautious. Americans in the following Mideast nations are urged to depart immediately via commercial means due to “serious safety risks”: Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
Many commercial flights have been cancelled and some airports have been among sites bombed by Iran. Americans who need State Department assistance to depart via commercial means can call 24/7 at +1-202-501-444 from overseas and +1-888-407-4747 from the U.S. and Canada.
Americans worldwide and especially in the Middle East should follow the guidance in the latest security alerts issued by the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate, the State Department advises, though some embassies have shut down and two (Dubai and Riyadh) have reportedly been struck by drones. Americans in the Mideast may experience travel disruptions due to periodic airspace closures.
Travelers are encouraged to enroll in the Smart Travelers Program at https://step.state.gov and follow the “U.S. Department of State - Security Updates for U.S. Citizens” channel on WhatsApp. When planning travel, read carefully the latest travel advisory, country information, and any recent alerts at https://travel.state.gov/en/international-travel.html.
Some other countries have begun organizing military or private transports to evacuate their citizens from the conflict zone.
Some political leaders have criticized the Trump administration for failing to arrange similar transportation to evacuation Americans.
Senator Andy Kim posted on Facebook,” I worked at the State Dept before and the safety of Americans overseas is the highest responsibility. Warnings to citizens to evacuate 3 days into this war, when airspace is closed, is a clear sign of ZERO strategy and planning by the Trump admin. Now Americans have limited options to evacuate at an extremely dangerous moment with no government assistance. This administration is failing its citizens.”