On Wednesday, March 4th, the United States and Israel launched a joint military strike against Iran, entering its sixth day. Western nations have begun assisting their citizens in evacuating the Middle East region. Due to widespread flight disruptions, Chinese tourists stranded in the Middle East are also striving to find flights back to their home country.
The U.S. State Department announced on Wednesday evening that as charter flights began transporting people out of the Middle East, the Middle East Working Group at the State Department has provided travel guidance and departure plans for 7,300 American citizens.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott stated, “The State Department will do everything in its power to ensure that every American citizen who wishes to leave the region can safely return home.” He added that tensions have escalated following the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, and the State Department is working tirelessly to ensure the safe return of citizens to their homeland.
Chinese tourists stranded in the Middle East are struggling to find available flights back to China amid the turmoil.
One tourist named Wang Kun (pseudonym) in Dubai told CNN that he spent over $4,350 USD (approximately 30,000 RMB) to purchase three plane tickets, hoping that at least one of them would enable him to leave the region.
Flight disruptions have sparked a flurry of posts on Chinese social media platforms, with users sharing travel advice and evacuation experiences.
A user on Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) mentioned planning to rent a car (costing $1,450 USD) to cross into Oman from the UAE, then fly to Southeast Asia before returning to China. “As long as the flights take off, I don’t care about the price,” one comment read. Others expressed closely monitoring flight schedules and shared screenshots of flight bookings, visa requirements, or route suggestions.
So far, only a few fortunate ones have managed to depart, including Chinese student Matt Hu, who finally left after enduring days of uncertainty.
Hu told CNN that shortly before the escalation of tensions, he and his classmates traveled from Abu Dhabi to Riyadh. After their return flight was canceled, they drove for hours to Jeddah, then flew to Kuala Lumpur and are now arranging a flight back to China.
“We just wanted a place to sleep peacefully for a night,” Hu said. He added that upon arriving in Malaysia after the travel disruptions, he felt a sense of relief.
However, many others remain stranded in the Middle East, awaiting the resumption of flights or seeking alternative routes.
Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 shows that flights from Dubai to Guangzhou, previously canceled for three consecutive days earlier this week, resumed on Wednesday – providing a glimmer of hope for some individuals.
Western countries have begun assisting their citizens in safely returning home.
Canadian citizens in Israel are being transported by bus to the Egyptian border. In Beirut, some citizens are being arranged for flights out.
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand stated at a press conference that as UAE airspace begins to open up, Canada is working on arranging charter flights for evacuations.
Anand noted that over 100,000 Canadian citizens are registered in the Middle East, with 2,000 of them having applied to leave.
Early Thursday morning, under the organization of the Spanish Air Force, 171 citizens evacuated from various Middle Eastern countries boarded a charter flight to Madrid from Muscat, Oman to return home.
In Lisbon, Portugal, around 300 people returned from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday night, marking the first flight to Lisbon from Dubai since the military actions against Iran by the U.S. and Israel.
Qatari authorities are evacuating residents near the U.S. embassy as a “temporary precautionary measure.”
Due to Iran’s close cooperation with China, there are numerous Chinese nationals in Iran. China has announced an “Iran evacuation,” with individuals being urgently evacuated from Iran, then transported by land to neighboring countries like Azerbaijan before arrangements are made for their return to China.