by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 9:10 AM ET, Thu March 5, 2026
The State Department announced on Wednesday, March 4, that the first charter flights for American citizens stuck in the Middle East following the joint U.S.-Israel attack on Iran that left its leadership dead and encouraged widespread retaliatory attacks are now operating, bringing Americans home.
The move comes days after the initial strikes, and two days after the State Department urged Americans in 14 different countries to leave on their own.
According to ABC News, the U.S. State Department will be offering flights from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Israel as “part of our ongoing efforts to assist Americans return[ing] home.”
As other countries ramped up efforts to bring their own citizens home from the Middle East, the U.S. lack of a response has been questioned, since the U.S. was involved in the initial attack and seemingly had no plans to support Americans.
When asked about how so many people became stuck without a plan for a way out on Tuesday, President Trump told ABC News, “Well, because it happened all very quickly.”
Since the Saturday attack, Iran has targeted regional airports, including in Dubai, Doha and elsewhere, leading to over 20,000 cancelled flights and causing travel mayhem for hundreds of thousands of global travelers who need to leave the region.
Hundreds of thousands of Americans are estimated to be currently stranded in the Middle East.
As of March 2, some commercial flights have begun operating out of select airports, including Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
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