{"id":4617,"date":"2026-03-05T12:55:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T17:55:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617"},"modified":"2026-03-05T12:55:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T17:55:12","slug":"americans-stranded-after-advisories-came-too-late","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617","title":{"rendered":"Americans Stranded After Advisories Came Too Late"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In the days after the <strong>U.S.<\/strong> and <strong>Israel<\/strong> began an air war against <strong>Iran<\/strong>, the <strong>State Department<\/strong> issued new travel advisories urging Americans to reconsider trips across parts of the region. For many already there, the warnings arrived after commercial travel routes had narrowed or shut down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thousands of Americans are now stuck in countries including <strong>Jordan<\/strong>, <strong>Kuwait<\/strong>, and the <strong>United Arab Emirates<\/strong> as <strong>Iran<\/strong> retaliates with drone attacks on U.S. facilities. Democratic lawmakers and current and former State Department officials have criticized the <strong>Trump<\/strong> administration for failing to plan for what they describe as a foreseeable scenario.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conflicting Guidance And Closed Airports<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>U.S. citizens in several countries reported receiving mixed instructions. In some cases, they were urged to leave immediately even as airports were closed. Others were told to contact U.S. embassies, only to encounter busy lines or staff unable to provide direct help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a letter to <strong>Secretary of State Marco Rubio<\/strong>, dozens of Democrats wrote that the lack of preparation and communication was unacceptable. A senior State Department official, speaking anonymously, said clearer planning would have reduced how many people were placed in danger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>President Donald Trump<\/strong> acknowledged the rapid escalation, telling reporters Tuesday: \u201cIt happened all very quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Attacks On U.S. Facilities Across The Region<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The retaliatory campaign has included multiple reported incidents involving U.S. diplomatic sites. The <strong>U.S. Embassy in Jordan<\/strong> was evacuated amid threats. The <strong>U.S. Embassy compound in Kuwait<\/strong> was struck by a drone. The <strong>U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia<\/strong> caught fire after being hit by <strong>two Iranian drones<\/strong>. A drone attack also ignited a parking lot outside the <strong>U.S. Consulate in Dubai<\/strong>, according to the account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Officials said at least <strong>six American service members<\/strong> have been killed since the U.S. and Israel began strikes on Iran. There have been no reports of American civilian deaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Advisory Levels And The Timing Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>White House press secretary <strong>Karoline Leavitt<\/strong> defended the administration\u2019s approach, saying the State Department had issued many warnings and that some countries had been under <strong>Level 4<\/strong> guidance since January. Level 4 is the highest advisory tier and signals \u201cdo not travel.\u201d Countries with that designation before the war included <strong>Iran<\/strong>, <strong>Iraq<\/strong>, <strong>Lebanon<\/strong>, <strong>Syria<\/strong>, and <strong>Yemen<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But after the air campaign began, the State Department issued <strong>Level 3<\/strong> \u201creconsider travel\u201d advisories for at least <strong>seven<\/strong> countries: <strong>Jordan<\/strong>, <strong>Kuwait<\/strong>, <strong>Oman<\/strong>, <strong>Qatar<\/strong>, <strong>Saudi Arabia<\/strong>, the <strong>UAE<\/strong>, and <strong>Cyprus<\/strong>. Critics argue the shift came after airspace risks were already rising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Evacuations, Staffing Strain, And A Family Deadline Missed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rubio<\/strong> said the key obstacle is airspace closures linked to aerial attacks. He said the U.S. organized flights for citizens but some countries closed their skies. The <strong>Defense Department<\/strong> said it planned to support evacuation with <strong>C-17 cargo planes<\/strong>, while State Department officials said they were arranging charter flights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Late Wednesday, the State Department said on X that one charter flight had departed the region and was en route to the U.S. The department also said it had assisted nearly <strong>6,500<\/strong> Americans abroad with security guidance and travel support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Current and former diplomats said staffing cuts and unfilled ambassador roles have weakened crisis readiness. The <strong>American Foreign Service Association<\/strong> said the moment exposed gaps created by the loss of experienced personnel, including specialists in <strong>Farsi<\/strong> and <strong>Arabic<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Cody Greene<\/strong>, a <strong>36<\/strong>-year-old from <strong>Tampa<\/strong> stranded in <strong>Dubai<\/strong>, said he missed his son\u2019s first birthday and felt unsupported. He said the hotline number provided by the State Department offered an automated message and no direct help. \u201cI feel betrayed and left out to dry by my own government,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the days after the U.S. and Israel began an air war against Iran, the State Department issued new travel advisories urging Americans to reconsider trips across parts of the region. For many already there, the warnings arrived after commercial travel routes had narrowed or shut down. Thousands of Americans are now stuck in countries<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":4618,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[792,787,786,784,790,785,791,783,789,788],"ppma_author":[44],"class_list":{"0":"post-4617","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics","8":"tag-americans-abroad","9":"tag-consular-assistance","10":"tag-evacuation-flights","11":"tag-iran-retaliation","12":"tag-karoline-leavitt","13":"tag-marco-rubio","14":"tag-middle-east-conflict","15":"tag-travel-advisories","16":"tag-u-s-embassies","17":"tag-u-s-state-department"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Americans Stranded After Advisories Came Too Late - The Bulletin Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Americans Stranded After Advisories Came Too Late - The Bulletin Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the days after the U.S. and Israel began an air war against Iran, the State Department issued new travel advisories urging Americans to reconsider trips across parts of the region. For many already there, the warnings arrived after commercial travel routes had narrowed or shut down. Thousands of Americans are now stuck in countries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Bulletin Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-05T17:55:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-05T17:55:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Americans-Stranded-After-Advisories-Came-Too-Late.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sarah Haddad\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sarah Haddad\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sarah Haddad\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e194d8212a7160ae20c889797af3a08d\"},\"headline\":\"Americans Stranded After Advisories Came Too Late\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-05T17:55:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-05T17:55:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617\"},\"wordCount\":610,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Americans-Stranded-After-Advisories-Came-Too-Late.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Americans Abroad\",\"Consular Assistance\",\"Evacuation Flights\",\"Iran Retaliation\",\"Karoline Leavitt\",\"Marco Rubio\",\"Middle East Conflict\",\"Travel Advisories\",\"U.S. Embassies\",\"U.S. State Department\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Politics\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617\",\"name\":\"Americans Stranded After Advisories Came Too Late - The Bulletin Journal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Americans-Stranded-After-Advisories-Came-Too-Late.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-05T17:55:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-05T17:55:12+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Americans-Stranded-After-Advisories-Came-Too-Late.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Americans-Stranded-After-Advisories-Came-Too-Late.png\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"americans-stranded-after-advisories-came-too-late\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Americans Stranded After Advisories Came Too Late\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/\",\"name\":\"The Bulletin Journal\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Bulletin Journal\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Bulletin-Journal.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Bulletin-Journal.png\",\"width\":800,\"height\":124,\"caption\":\"The Bulletin Journal\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e194d8212a7160ae20c889797af3a08d\",\"name\":\"Sarah Haddad\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/9292de44020e54327c272e47664216e7\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Sarah-Haddad.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Sarah-Haddad.png\",\"caption\":\"Sarah Haddad\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Americans Stranded After Advisories Came Too Late - The Bulletin Journal","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Americans Stranded After Advisories Came Too Late - The Bulletin Journal","og_description":"In the days after the U.S. and Israel began an air war against Iran, the State Department issued new travel advisories urging Americans to reconsider trips across parts of the region. For many already there, the warnings arrived after commercial travel routes had narrowed or shut down. Thousands of Americans are now stuck in countries","og_url":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617","og_site_name":"The Bulletin Journal","article_published_time":"2026-03-05T17:55:11+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-05T17:55:12+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Americans-Stranded-After-Advisories-Came-Too-Late.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Sarah Haddad","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Sarah Haddad","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617"},"author":{"name":"Sarah Haddad","@id":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e194d8212a7160ae20c889797af3a08d"},"headline":"Americans Stranded After Advisories Came Too Late","datePublished":"2026-03-05T17:55:11+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-05T17:55:12+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617"},"wordCount":610,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Americans-Stranded-After-Advisories-Came-Too-Late.png","keywords":["Americans Abroad","Consular Assistance","Evacuation Flights","Iran Retaliation","Karoline Leavitt","Marco Rubio","Middle East Conflict","Travel Advisories","U.S. Embassies","U.S. State Department"],"articleSection":["Politics"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617","url":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617","name":"Americans Stranded After Advisories Came Too Late - The Bulletin Journal","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Americans-Stranded-After-Advisories-Came-Too-Late.png","datePublished":"2026-03-05T17:55:11+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-05T17:55:12+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Americans-Stranded-After-Advisories-Came-Too-Late.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Americans-Stranded-After-Advisories-Came-Too-Late.png","width":1200,"height":800,"caption":"americans-stranded-after-advisories-came-too-late"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?p=4617#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Americans Stranded After Advisories Came Too Late"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/","name":"The Bulletin Journal","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/#organization","name":"The Bulletin Journal","url":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Bulletin-Journal.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Bulletin-Journal.png","width":800,"height":124,"caption":"The Bulletin Journal"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e194d8212a7160ae20c889797af3a08d","name":"Sarah Haddad","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/9292de44020e54327c272e47664216e7","url":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Sarah-Haddad.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Sarah-Haddad.png","caption":"Sarah Haddad"}}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":44,"user_id":5,"is_guest":0,"slug":"registeelopiuvhblai89u2ghklhgas","display_name":"Sarah Haddad","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Sarah-Haddad.png","url2x":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Sarah-Haddad.png"},"0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4617","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4617"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4617\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4619,"href":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4617\/revisions\/4619"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4617"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebulletinjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fppma_author&post=4617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}