An Indian-American CEO of US start-up SardineAI said that the United States has not taken any action to rescue citizens stranded in the Middle East. It is difficult to see other countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and India repatriating their citizens, while the US government abandons its citizens. Ranjan posted on The post added: “After four days of adrenaline and constant fear, I feel demoralized and abandoned by our governments. It saddens me to see other countries – the UK, Israel, Spain, Italy and India – repatriating their citizens or ensuring commercial flights continue to operate to bring them home.”“I became a naturalized U.S. citizen because I believe in the American dream and that in a crisis, America will never leave its citizens behind,” Ranjan wrote. “I saw the American dream shattered, not just for me but for tens of thousands of other stranded Americans.” He added that he had booked more than a dozen flights as the U.S. government has been urging people to leave Dubai, but all of them have been cancelled. Ranjan noted that commercial flights to the United States are being canceled while flights to other countries are still operating. The U.S. State Department is facing a huge backlash as the crisis enters its fifth day without any plans to evacuate citizens. The U.S. State Department has released a helpline number (1-202-501-4444) for assistance with departure options. The government also urges Dubai citizens to join the Smart Traveler Registration Program to receive the latest information. “I signed up for Step and received only generic messages. Also, when calling the number, the message you receive is: ‘Please do not rely on USG for assistance with departures or evacuations at this time. There are no evacuation flights at this time,'” Ranjan said. “With cuts to U.S. consulate funding and attacks on U.S. embassies in the region, Americans in the wider GCC region have no one to contact. Can we have a truly effective emergency hotline within the U.S. with someone logging more details?” the Indian-origin CEO wrote.
