An internal diplomatic message from the US State Department, obtained by the newspaper The Washington Postreveals that hundreds of US citizens have left the Iran on terrestrial borders since the beginning of the country’s conflict with Israel. The document points to the US government’s admission to the imminent danger that a significant portion of its citizens faces in the region of the Middle East.
The movement happens in a critical moment of the conflict, while the president Donald Trump evaluates the possibility of the United States to join the State of Israel in the dispute to eradicate the Iranian nuclear program. Second The Washington PostUS citizens in Iran are not only at risk for Israeli attacks – which Iranian authorities claim to have killed hundreds of civilians – but also face dangers imposed by the Iranian regime itself.
The diplomatic document details that several US citizens who tried to leave the country underwent “delays and harassment” by the Iranian authorities. There are also unconfirmed reports, but being closely monitored by US diplomats, detention and prisons of US citizens.
In addition, the situation is aggravated by the difficulty of leaving the region of the conflict. Turkmenistan, which borders Iran, has not approved more than 100 requests from the Ashgabat embassy for the entry of Americans over the past few days. Given this, the US State Department now advises its citizens in Iran to seek alternative routes to leave the country.
A state department spokesman Tammy Bruce said on Friday that the Trump government does not plan to offer “direct departure with the aid of the US government” of Iran. US citizens who want to leave “should take advantage of existing means,” she said.
There are no exact number of Americans in Iran, but previous estimates point out that at least 25,000 people have received support from the State Department amid hostilities in Israel, West Bank and Iran.
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Risks for people with double nationality in Iran
At the same time, the concern for citizens’ safety is expanded by the history of the Iranian regime to arrest foreigners and people with double nationality under fragile pretexts. In this case, prisoners are used as a diplomatic exchange currency.
“There is a real risk that they will be stopped, interrogated, and detained on false accusations such as espionage,” warned Holly Dagres, senior researcher at the Eastern Policy Institute near Washington, highlighting the vulnerability of citizens with double nationality in the face of the imminent possibility of US involvement in conflict.
Since 1980, the United States has not maintained direct diplomatic relations with Iran. The Switzerland embassy in Tehran has acted as an interlocutor of American interests. However, the Swiss diplomatic body announced the temporary closure of the embassy due to the conflict, with ambassador Nadine Olivieri Lozano leaving the country.
This Friday, the State Department released the following travel alert: “American citizens should not travel to Iran for any reason and should leave the country immediately if they are there.” Those who cannot leave must “be prepared to take shelter on the spot for long periods.”
The destination of hundreds of thousands of Americans throughout the Middle East has been in check since June 13, when Israel has launched a widespread attack on Iran, aiming at authorities, military personnel and nuclear scientists. In retaliation, Iran fired hundreds of missiles and drones against Israel and threatened to reach US interests in the region if the US unites to Israel.
While the United States seeks a diplomatic solution, President Trump has set up a period of up to two weeks for a breakthrough in negotiations. At the same time, in Israel, where about 700,000 Americans live, the local embassy has actively worked to assist in the evacuations, seeking “military, commercial, charter and cruise ships” for citizens.
