Tens of thousands of people are stranded in the Middle East as Iran war complicates routes home

BERLIN (AP) — Tens of thousands of people, from Romanian religious pilgrims to tourists and diplomats’ family members, are stranded across the Middle East as the Iran war spreads throughout the region.

Major airlines have canceled flights to and from the region, and airspace across the Gulf is closed. Some of those who are stuck have been forced to seek shelter amid airstrikes, while others are stuck on cruise ships that currently cannot sail through the Strait of Hormuz.

In a major move Monday, the U.S. State Department urged all U.S. citizens to leave more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries over the safety risk with the ongoing escalations that have dragged the region into significant chaos.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar said on social platform X that Americans in countries including Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Israel should “DEPART NOW” using any available commercial transportation.

The State Department has also evacuated non-emergency personnel and families in six nations, adding the United Arab Emirates to its list Tuesday. The UAE, home to Dubai and Abu Dhabi and long considered a safe corner of the Middle East, has been dragged into the Iran war with interceptions and attacks.

In Israel, meanwhile, the U.S. ambassador told Americans there that the best way to leave is through Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.

Mike Huckabee wrote on social media early Tuesday that the embassy was receiving lots of evacuation requests as embassy staff “are sheltering in place.”

“There are VERY LIMITED options,” he wrote. “Not sure when Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv will reopen.” He advised Americans to take buses to the Egyptian resorts of Sharm el-Sheikh and Taba in southern Sinai.

Governments try to get their citizens home

Governments worldwide are scrambling to repatriate their citizens.

In Italy, the government has assisted with flights to Milan and Rome in the wake of mounting criticism against Defense Minister Guido Crosetto. The minister sparked a political controversy at home after being stuck in Dubai with his family during the initial phase of the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran.

Crosetto returned to Rome on Sunday on a military aircraft. The left-wing opposition has called for Crosetto’s resignation, saying he should not have traveled to the Middle East during a crisis. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni has defended him.

An estimated 30,000 German tourists remained on cruise ships, in hotels or at closed airports in the Middle East, and the first plane from Dubai to Frankfurt, Germany, was expected to land Tuesday afternoon.

The German government is also seeking to charter planes at taxpayer expense to get vulnerable people — including ill travelers, children and pregnant people — back home.

France is also trying to organize the return of thousands of French people, the country’s foreign affairs minister said Tuesday. An estimated 200,000 French people live in the region affected by the conflict, and authorities believe roughly 25,000 French citizens are currently visiting the area.

Returning travelers feel relief

Early Tuesday, Romanian tourists arrived in Bucharest after traveling from Israel to Cairo to escape the conflict. Hundreds of Romanian Orthodox Church pilgrims were stranded in Israel while visiting Bethlehem on a trip led by Romanian priests when the war broke out. The group was forced to cut their trip short and return to Romania.

Pilgrim Mariana Muicaru said she was terrified during her time in Israel as rockets flew across the sky.

“We called our children at 3 a.m. to ask forgiveness because we might die and to tell them we love them and to let them know that it’s over for us,” she told The Associated Press.

The previous night, British travelers who were trapped in the United Arab Emirates were relieved to land safely in London’s Heathrow Airport.

Adam Barton, who was traveling with his family from Abu Dhabi, said he was getting alerts as he was in the airport before he left.

“We had an alert on our phone, saying to get away from the windows for potential missile attacks,” Barton told Sky News.

A flight from Dubai, meanwhile, landed in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, on early Tuesday morning with roughly 200 passengers.

One traveler told the state RTS broadcaster he’d been in a hotel waiting and was given 15 minutes to pack.

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Samuel Petrequin in Paris, Giada Zampano in Rome, Nicolae Dumitrache in Bucharest, Romania, Samy Magdy in Cairo, and Jovana Gec in Belgrade, Serbia, contributed to this report.