\n<\/p>\n
Information display board showing cancellations due to airspace restrictions over Iran and parts of the Middle East on March 2, 2026 in New Delhi, India.<\/span>Vipin Kumar\/Hindustan Times via Getty<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Without providing clear <\/span>guidance on how to do so or how it will help, the United States government is advising Americans<\/a> abroad to depart immediately from 14 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Qatar, as its deadly<\/a> offensive<\/a> in Iran continues.\u00a0<\/p>\n Americans abroad remain stuck in place.\u00a0Thousands of flights have been cancelled<\/a> and there\u2019s uncertainty surrounding which airspaces will be safe, and when. <\/p>\n New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand told Mother Jones<\/em> that President Donald Trump \u201chas essentially told the thousands of citizens who are stuck in the Middle East because of a war he started that they are on their own.\u201d Gillibrand, a Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee, called the administration\u2019s actions \u201ccompletely unacceptable and downright disgraceful.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Sen. Gillibrand has criticized US actions in the region, saying in a statement on Saturday that, \u201cAmerica voted for lower costs, not forever wars.\u201d She said she\u2019s working with New Yorkers currently in the region to get back to the state.<\/p>\n Since the US and Israel initially launched strikes in Iran earlier this week, Americans in the region have been trying to flee a war that has already resulted in hundreds<\/a> of deaths. Counterstrikes by Iran, and fear of future strikes, have led the US to close multiple embassies in the region. Others are operating with limited staff\u2014giving Americans even less support as they try to find a way to the states.\u00a0<\/p>\n When Trump was asked about why there wasn\u2019t a plan for stranded Americans prior to the decision to strike Iran, he said<\/a>, \u201cwell, because it happened all very quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n The State Department has been pointing<\/a> stranded citizens to a phone number. Yet, the message callers heard hasn\u2019t been providing clear help. As of Tuesday afternoon, according<\/a> to the Washington Post<\/em>, callers were told to \u201cnot rely on the U.S. government for assisted departure or evacuation at this time. There are currently no United States evacuation points.\u201d<\/p>\n On Wednesday, Gillibrand sent a letter, shared with Mother Jones<\/em>, to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, relaying the \u201cdismay\u201d her office has heard from Americans abroad and urging him to \u201crespond no later than close of business tomorrow with the Administration\u2019s plan to evacuate American citizens from the region.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cThe Trump administration just told Americans: \u2018you\u2019re on your own.\u201d,\u201d Gillibrand\u2019s letter reads, referencing the State Department hotline. \u201cWhen it comes to the safety of American citizens,\u201d she continued, \u201c\u2018you\u2019re on your own\u2019 is an unacceptable answer.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n