The US did not have an evacuation plan for Americans in the Middle East before the attacks on Iran were launched. Trump's unexpected explanation
Passengers at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on March 3, 2026, amid the cancellation of flights by airlines amid the conflict in the Middle East. PHOTO: Munir UZ ZAMAN / AFP / Profimedia
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that there was no evacuation plan for American citizens from the Middle East before the massive attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran, arguing that the military operation unfolded too quickly to organize such efforts in advance, reports CNN.
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“Because it all happened very quickly,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office of the White House during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, when asked about the thousands of Americans stuck in the Middle East region and why there was no plan by US authorities to evacuate their citizens.
Trump did not directly address the logistics of assisting Americans abroad, saying he might ask Secretary of State Marco Rubio, “but I thought we were going to have a situation where we were going to be attacked.”
The Iranians “were preparing to attack Israel. They were preparing to attack other countries,” the US leader continued.
President Trump's comments come amid growing concerns about the safety of American citizens in the Middle East amid missile and drone attacks launched by the Tehran regime on neighboring countries in response to heavy bombing by the US and Israel.
The State Department on Monday urged Americans in the Middle East to “depart immediately,” by commercial means, from 14 countries. “Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Department of State are urging American citizens to IMMEDIATELY leave the countries listed below, using available commercial transportation, due to serious safety risks,” Mora Namdar, the State Department's assistant secretary for consular affairs, said in a message posted on the X social network.
Last minute appeal for Americans in the Middle East: They are asked to leave 14 countries “IMMEDIATELY”
The warning came after the State Department updated its travel advisories for several countries in the region in recent days, recommending that travel be avoided. The advisory issued on Monday applies to Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel (including the West Bank and Gaza Strip), Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
However, CNN notes, it is unlikely that most US citizens will be able to leave quickly, as many airlines have suspended flights to the region. The US government has not yet started evacuation flights for US citizens.
