President Donald Trump on Tuesday admitted that the United States had no evacuation plan for Americans in the Middle East as the US joined Israel to conduct airstrikes on Iranian targets Saturday. Shortly afterwards, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt launched an online portal “to help Americans in the Middle East return home.”
“Because it did happen all very quickly,” Trump said at a presser at the White House, arguing that the situation in Iran unfolded too quickly to plan for evacuating Americans in advance.
Leavitt then posted a registration link to the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). “The United States State Department is actively working on plans to help Americans in the Middle East return home,” she wrote.
Thousands of Americans are stranded in Middle Eastern countries amid the escalating conflict in the region, CNN reports. There are growing concerns surrounding their security and safety as most airspaces remain closed.
Earlier, the US State Department had asked Americans in the Middle East to evacuate by commercial means. However, acting on the “depart now” alert has become difficult since most airlines are not operating flights out of the Middle East.
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At Tuesday’s presser, Trump did not provide details of how evacuations will be carried out. Though he did note explicitly admit a potential oversight, he said he will discuss it with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Trump admitted that he knew the US was “going to have a situation where we were going to be attacked,” adding: They were getting ready to attack Israel. They were getting ready to attack others.”
‘Too Late’ For Iran Talks, Trump Takes U-Turn
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump said that Iran wanted to talk about the escalation, but he shut it down as it was “too late.” Commenting on an opinion piece about potential Iran talks on Truth Social, Trump dismissed the possibility of a potential truce.
“Their air defense, Air Force, Navy, and Leadership is gone. They want to talk. I said, ‘Too Late!'” Trump said.
Tuesday’s post came as a sharp contrast to his earlier claim to The Atlantic that he is open to talks with Iran. “They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them,” he had said.
