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US sends planes to evacuate nationals from Middle East as Iran conflict spreads
The US is sending charter flights to evacuate Americans from the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Saudi Arabia as the US-Israeli war against Iran widens.
The US State Department said Monday that Americans should “depart now” from Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the occupied West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen due to “serious safety risks”.
But many flights from the region have been cancelled or suspended since the US and Israel began striking Iran on Saturday.
Iran responded by firing missiles and drones at Middle Eastern nations allied to the US.
The State Department said it is actively working to secure military aircraft and charter flights for Americans seeking to leave the Middle East.
“We’ve been in direct contact with nearly 3,000 Americans abroad,” Dylan Johnson of the State Department said on X, urging citizens to call the department’s line for assistance.
In another statement, the department said 9,000 US citizens have already successfully returned home from the region. The department said it is helping people book flights from countries where commercial air travel is still an option.
Florida resident Krista Jucknath Hickman, a US federal employee, said her anniversary trip through the region turned into “chaos” after the state department told Americans to leave. She and her husband had to spend the night at the Dubai airport.
She told the BBC that she is now driving from the UAE to Oman and has not yet received clear guidance on how to proceed.
“The orders are not realistic, not supportive,” she said. “The number provided by the State Department for support is unable to help. I called twice. Both times I was told there are no evacuation procedures in place.”
Other travellers have told the BBC that they have had to either shelter in place or look for alternative means out of the region.
Between 500,000 and one million US nationals are estimated to be living in the Middle East.
Exact official numbers are not available as Americans are not required to register with US authorities when they move abroad.
American citizens were urged to check “the latest security updates” with nearby embassies and consulates, and given hotlines for if they need help leaving the region.
The US embassy in Jerusalem said on Monday that it “is not in a position at this time to evacuate or directly assist Americans in departing Israel”, adding that it would be closed on Tuesday.
It later said Israel had “begun operating shuttles to the Taba Border Crossing [with Egypt]” but warned that the embassy “cannot make any recommendation (for or against)” using it.
On Tuesday, France said it was ready to fly back those of its citizens who were most at risk in the Middle East.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told the country’s BFM TV broadcaster this could be done using both commercial and military flights.
About 400,000 French nationals are thought to be in the Middle East.
On Monday, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer urged all British citizens in the region to register their presence so the government could provide “the best possible support”.
Around 102,000 Britons have so far registered their presence in the Middle East with the UK government.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told the BBC there were an estimated 300,000 British citizens in the region.
She said many of those trapped were holidaymakers, passengers transiting through the Gulf or people on business visits.
The UK government has previously used registration schemes to provide urgent updates to people affected by international crises – but the number of people and countries affected in this case is unprecedented.
[BBC]
The Israeli military has claimed in a post on X Tuesday that it has killed Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of the Basij unit, the internal security paramilitary militia of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“Guided by precise intelligence from Military Intelligence, the Air Force conducted a targeted strike yesterday in the heart of Tehran, eliminating Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the Basij unit over the past six years,” it said on Tuesday.
Iran has not commented on, nor confirmed this claim.
If confirmed, Soleimani would be the highest level assassination in the war since United States-Israeli strikes killed the former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and several members of his family on the first day of the war they launched on February 28.
The US Treasury records Soleimani’s birth year as 1965. He has been sanctioned by the United States, the European Union, and other countries for his alleged role in suppressing dissent through the Basij.
[Aljazeera]
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he is planning to delay a high stakes visit to China later in March by about a month because of the Iran war.
“We’ve requested that we delay it a month or so,” he told reporters at the White House, adding that it was important that he remained available to oversee the war.
The meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping is currently set to take place between 31 March to 2 April, following their last face to face talks i October last year.
Chinese foreign affairs spokesman Lin Jian said on Tuesday that Beijing and Washington are in talks over “the timing and related matters of President Trump’s visit to China”.
The Iran War has eclipsed most of Trump’s other foreign policy priorities, faced with an intensifying conflict and disruptions to the global oil supply, which has threatened to raise prices in the US.
Trump said he had proposed the delay solely to make sure he was around to manage the war.
“I’m looking forward to being with him,” he said, referring to Xi. “We have a very good relationship.”
“There’s no tricks to it either,” Trump added. “It’s very simple. We’ve got a war going on. I think it’s important that I be here.”
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that the meeting’s delay would not be due to Washington’s request that Beijing help in the Gulf, or any trade disagreements.
Bessent said: “The President wants to remain in DC to coordinate the war effort… Travelling abroad at a time like this may not be optimal.”
The latest development comes a day after Trump told the Financial Times that he might postpone the meeting if China did not help unblock the Strait of Hormuz – a critical waterway for the Gulf’s energy shipments.
He also called on other nations to help ships transit safely through the channel.
Trump’s remarks come as frictions between the world’s two largest economies have grown, fuelled by the Iran war.
Beijing is a major buyer of Iranian energy exports and has criticised the US and Israeli strikes against the country.
Washington also announced it would investigate trade practices among a list of countries, including China, after Trump’s signature tariff policy was struck down by the Supreme Court in February.
Representatives from the US and China have met in Paris in recent days for negotiations, such as over investments, tariffs and economic sanctions.
The sides reached consensus on some issues and will carry on with negotiations, Chinese trade representative Li Chenggang was quoted as saying in state media outlet Xinhua on Monday.
US representatives briefed their Chinese counterparts on changes to Washington’s tariff measures, said Li.
Chinese negotiators expressed “serious concern” about Washington’s plans to probe the country’s trade practices and urged the US to maintain economic stability, he said.
[BBC]
Latest News
Heat Index at Caution Level at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, North-central and North-western provinces and in Monaragala, Mannar and Vavuniya districts
Warm Weather Advisory Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre of the Department of Meteorology at 3.30 p.m. on 16 March 2026, valid for 17 March 2026
The general public are warned that the Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, North-central and North-western provinces and in Monaragala, Mannar and Vavuniya districts.
The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.
Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.
ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.
Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491.
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Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in the Central, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and Uva provinces after 2.00 pm.
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