president Donald Trump The United States acknowledged on Tuesday that it has no plans to evacuate Americans in the Middle East as it joins Israel in carrying out airstrikes against Iranian targets on Saturday. Shortly after, White House Press Secretary Carolyn Leavitt launched an online portal to “help Americans in the Middle East return home.”
“Because it all happened really fast,” Trump said at a news conference. White Housebelieves that the situation in Iran is developing too fast to plan the evacuation of Americans in advance.
Levitt then released a registration link for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). “The State Department is actively developing plans to help Americans in the Middle East return home,” she wrote.
According to CNN, thousands of Americans are trapped in the Middle Eastern country due to escalating conflicts in the region. With much of the airspace still closed, concerns are growing about their safety.
Previously, the U.S. State Department had asked Americans in the Middle East to evacuate by commercial means. However, since most airlines do not operate flights from the Middle East, acting on “depart now” alerts becomes difficult.
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At a press conference on Tuesday, Trump provided no details on how the evacuations would be conducted. While he did explicitly acknowledge potential oversights, he said he would discuss the matter with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Trump acknowledged that he knew the United States was “going to face situations where we would be attacked,” adding: “They are preparing to attack Israel.” They are preparing to attack others. “
It’s “Too Late” for Iran Negotiations, Trump’s Attitude Changes
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump said Iran Originally wanting to talk about the escalation, he ended the conversation because it was “too late.” Commenting on an opinion piece in Truth Social about possible talks with Iran, Trump dismissed the possibility of a potential truce.
“Their air defense, their air force, their navy, their leadership is gone. They want to talk. I said, ‘It’s too late!'” Trump said.
Tuesday’s post contrasted with his earlier assertion to The Atlantic that he was willing to negotiate with Iran. “They want to talk and I agree to talk, so I will talk to them,” he said.
