WASHINGTON — In the days after the U.S. and Israel launched an air campaign against Iran, the State Department issued new advisories urging Americans to reconsider travel to several regional countries — but critics say the warnings came too late. Thousands of U.S. citizens are now stranded across the Middle East as Iran has launched drone attacks on U.S. facilities, prompting sharp criticism from Democratic lawmakers and current and former State Department officials who say the situation was predictable and poorly managed.
A senior State Department official, speaking anonymously, said earlier action would have kept “far fewer people in harm’s way.” U.S. citizens in Jordan, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, among other countries, reported receiving conflicting guidance: some were told to evacuate immediately even as airports were closed; others were directed to contact U.S. embassies only to encounter busy signals or overwhelmed staff unable to provide assistance.
Dozens of Democrats wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, calling the lack of preparation, planning and clear communication “unacceptable” and a breach of the department’s duty to provide consular assistance and protect Americans overseas.
Administration officials, including President Donald Trump, have struggled to explain why contingency plans and messaging were insufficient. “It happened all very quickly,” Trump told reporters.
Several U.S. diplomatic posts were directly affected: the U.S. Embassy in Jordan was evacuated; the compound in Kuwait was struck by a drone; the embassy in Saudi Arabia caught fire after being hit by Iranian drones; and a drone attack ignited a parking lot outside the U.S. Consulate in Dubai. At least six American service members have been killed since the strikes on Iran, though there have been no reported American civilian fatalities.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the administration, saying the State Department “put out many signs” and noting Rubio had issued Level 4 “do not travel” advisories in January for several countries, including Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. However, Level 3 “reconsider travel” advisories for at least seven countries — Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Cyprus — were issued only after the recent air campaign began.
The Defense Department said it planned to support evacuations with C-17 cargo planes, and State Department officials said they were arranging charter flights. Late Wednesday the State Department posted that one such flight had departed the Middle East en route to the U.S. Rubio told reporters flights for Americans had been organized but that airspace closures in some countries posed challenges. As of Wednesday, the State Department said it had assisted nearly 6,500 Americans with security guidance and travel help.
Current and former diplomats blamed administration cuts to the State Department workforce and a shortage of confirmed ambassadors for leaving the diplomatic corps thin when seasoned personnel were needed most. A former senior official said mixed messaging from the White House, fewer professionals in post and a lack of direct connections with Washington had hindered planning and communications.
The American Foreign Service Association said the crisis “exposes real gaps in America’s diplomatic readiness,” warning that the loss of experienced staff with regional, crisis-management, consular and language expertise — including Farsi and Arabic specialists — weakened the department’s capacity.
Personal accounts underscore the frustration. Cody Greene, 36, from Tampa, Florida, was on a work trip to Dubai when the conflict began. He said he called the State Department number released for stranded Americans and reached an automated line that said the U.S. had no plans to rescue callers and advised them to make their own arrangements. “I feel betrayed and left out to dry by my own government who started this whole thing without any plan in place to get their own people out,” Greene told NBC News.