According to a message posted by Dylan Johnson, the Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs at the US Department of State, on X on Wednesday, since the outbreak of Operation Epic Fury on February 28th, more than 17,500 American citizens have returned to the US from the Middle East. Just yesterday alone, over 8,500 American citizens started their journey back home.
Johnson pointed out that besides those directly returning to the US, a large number of Americans have left the Middle East for other countries in Europe and Asia; some have safely evacuated from the region and are currently on their way back to the US. He emphasized that through a 24-hour operational task force at the State Department, the government has provided safety guidelines and travel assistance to nearly 6,500 US citizens abroad and will continue to actively assist any citizens willing to evacuate.
It is worth noting that the State Department has updated information on the assistance hotline for stranded American citizens in the Middle East (+1-202-501-4444). The recorded message now clearly states, “The United States is committed to assisting American citizens who wish to evacuate the region.”
The Trump administration stated on Tuesday that evacuation plans are being developed through chartered flights, military aircraft, and overland routes. Deputy State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott mentioned that nearly 3,000 Americans have called in to register for evacuation.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned the challenges posed by airspace closures on Tuesday. The State Department advised registered citizens to be prepared for rapid departure at any time, with over 120 individuals handling requests at the 24-hour call center. Officials recommend that registered citizens should be ready to “depart immediately upon receiving a call.”
As the conflict escalates and the situation in the Middle East rapidly deteriorates, multiple countries have initiated emergency evacuation procedures. In addition to the large-scale operations by the United States, European nations, India, and East Asian countries have issued highest-level travel warnings and coordinated commercial charter flights for evacuating their citizens.
In the midst of the turmoil in Iran, panic is spreading. Turkish citizens returning home from Iran describe the capital Tehran as now resembling a “ghost town.” With ongoing bombings by the US and its allies in Operation Epic Fury, many Iranians have fled to rural areas. Turgut Gunes, a Turkish national returning from the border, told CNN, “Tehran is now engulfed in panic, everyone is fleeing to countryside houses, the city center is nearly deserted.”
Turkey’s Minister of the Interior confirmed on Wednesday that the Iranian government is currently enforcing a “no exit, no entry” control, allowing Turkish and third-country citizens to leave but strictly restricting the departure of Iranian nationals.