作者： root

Trump’s national security team comes to convince Congress to back Iran war

March 3, 2026 8:30 PM UTC / Reuters

By Patricia Zengerle, Michael Martina and David Morgan

[1/3]An F/A-18E Super Hornet prepares to make an arrested landing on the flight deck of the U.S. Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in support of the Operation Epic Fury attack on Iran from an undisclosed location March 2, 2026. U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS [Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab]

• Summary

• Rubio, Hegseth, Ratcliffe and Caine to brief lawmakers
• Some Republicans ask about ‘America first’
• Israel comment prompted consternation

WASHINGTON, March 3 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s top national security advisers were to spend much of the day on Tuesday making the case to members of Congress ​for the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, as Democrats and some of his fellow Republicans clamored for more information.

Secretary of ‌State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, were to hold briefings first for the entire 100-member Senate and later the 432-member House of Representatives.

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Trump’s Republicans control slim majorities in both the Senate and House and have been ​strongly supportive of his policy initiatives, as is typical when the White House and Congress are controlled by the same ​party.

But the Middle East war has prompted a few members of his party to join Democrats in saying ⁠the president should not send troops to fight abroad without first obtaining Congress’ approval.

Others said they were looking forward to getting more ​information, especially if the White House comes to Congress to request additional funding for the war.

“America First was supposed to be a rejection ​of the globalist war machine,” Republican Representative Warren Davidson of Ohio said in a post on X.com. “I look forward to seeing the intelligence the administration found so persuasive, then voting.”

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And there was concern when Rubio told reporters on Monday that the U.S. had attacked Iran because Israel planned to do so. “Have we now delegated ​the most solemn decision that can be made in our society, the decision to go to war, to another country,” Senator Angus King ​of Maine, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, asked at an Armed Services committee hearing on Tuesday.

PAYING FOR IRAN WAR

The Senate’s Republican majority leader, John ‌Thune of ⁠South Dakota, and Representative Mike Johnson of Louisiana, the Republican Speaker of the House, have both said it is too early to know whether Congress will need to consider a supplemental funding bill.

Johnson told reporters on Monday evening, after a separate briefing for congressional leaders, that the issue had come up during that meeting. “There are more details to be determined, how long the operation goes and what the need is,” ​he said.

Such a resolution would face ​stiff opposition from Democrats. New ⁠York Representative Hakeem Jeffries, who leads Democrats in the House, told a news conference hours before the administration’s briefing that Trump should get Congress’ consent for the war before asking lawmakers to fund it.

The ​Senate is expected to vote on Wednesday and the House on Thursday on war powers resolutions seeking ​to block Trump from ⁠continuing to attack Iran without congressional authorization.

Jeffries said he expected strong Democratic support for the measure.

“There is a requirement under the Constitution that it is members of Congress that make the decision as to whether to get us entangled in this kind of armed conflict and that’s what ⁠the resolution ​this week will be all about,” Jeffries said.

Congressional Republicans have blocked previous attempts to ​pass resolutions forcing Trump to obtain lawmakers’ approval for military action. Even if a resolution were to pass this time, it is not expected to get the two-thirds majorities ​in both the House and Senate needed to override Trump’s veto.

Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, Michael Martina and David Morgan; Editing by Alistair Bell

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The House is likely to take up Mace’s resolution as soon as Thursday

By Adam Pack, Elizabeth Elkind
Fox News

Published March 3, 2026 5:08pm EST

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., will force a high-profile vote later this week to require the release of sexual harassment reports involving members of Congress.

Mace said Tuesday that her resolution was drafted in response to recent reports alleging that Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, sent sexually explicit text messages to a former staffer. Regina Santos-Aviles, the one-time aide, later died by suicide in September 2025.

“I mean, literally, this girl killed herself in the most heinous way,” Mace told Fox News Digital when asked if the Gonzales allegations were her motivation for the resolution. “She literally lit herself on fire and died, and we’re just going to sit here and say, ‘Let the process play out?’ No.”

Gonzales has denied the affair and suggested he is being blackmailed by the attorney of Santos-Aviles’ husband.

“What you have seen is not all the facts, and there’ll be ample time for all of that,” Gonzales told reporters last week.

Mace’s resolution would specifically require the House Ethics Committee to publicly release all records regarding acts of sexual harassment involving lawmakers or their staffers within 60 days of enactment.

The South Carolina lawmaker said on the House floor that she will deem the resolution “privileged,” meaning House leadership will have two legislative days to vote on the measure. Lawmakers could also vote to table the resolution or refer it to committee, a way to kill legislation before having to weigh the measure itself.

Mace said she expected a vote on the House floor by Thursday but voiced pessimism when asked by Fox News Digital if she thought the resolution would succeed.

“No, I’m not optimistic about anything, especially when they just hide everything under the rug,” Mace said. “And if you’re an outspoken woman like I am, well, they’re going to come for you.”

Mace is among a group of conservative lawmakers who have called on Gonzales to resign amid allegations he had an affair with his staffer.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., has called the allegations “really disgusting.” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., told reporters last week that Gonzales “needs to go.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has not made any push one way or the other, though he has called the allegations against the Texas lawmaker “very serious” and “alarming and detestable.” The speaker is wrestling with a razor-thin majority and can afford to lose just one defecting GOP lawmaker on party-line legislation.

The Office of Congressional Conduct is expected to send a report on Gonzales to the House ethics panel after the Texas primary elections Tuesday. Under House rules, reports on lawmakers cannot be released within 60 days of an election.

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Gonzales is facing a primary challenge from his right flank, social media influencer Brandon Herrera, who is backed by the conservative House Freedom Caucus’ campaign arm. Herrera lost to Gonzales in 2024 by less than 400 votes.

Mace was one of four House Republicans to advocate for the release of files relating to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

A request for comment to Gonzales’ office was not immediately returned.

A GOP candidate running for Congress in Texas believes the state’s open primaries may have allowed a Democrat to enter a Republican primary.

Alexander Hale can’t help but have questions about the political positions of his fellow Republican challenger — Alexander Kalai — as they face off to represent Texas’ 7th Congressional District. Kalai, for his part, claims he has all the Republican credentials he needs.

“In reality, I have a long history of supporting Republicans and Republican causes,” Kalai told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

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Kalai’s background first caught Hale’s attention in December.

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“I was simply looking up my opponent’s information. And I saw on Transparency USA that [his father had given] [thousands] to Beto” and other top Democrats, Hale said, referring to a former Democratic representative of Texas, Beto O’Rourke, the failed Senate and gubernatorial candidate.

“And I thought, ‘well, that is super strange.’”

Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings show that Kalai’s family [has a track record]of donating to Democrats, leading Hale to believe that the open primary system in Texas may invite Republican-looking candidates to detract attention from candidates with platforms that align more closely with the GOP base. Hale believes that’s a weakness shared by many states that use open primaries.

“I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to say, well, ‘shouldn’t we only have Republicans electing Republicans and Democrats only electing Democrats?’” Hale said of the primary elections.

Texas is one of 14 states that use an open primary system, allowing unregistered candidates to announce their consideration for a party’s primary race.

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In Kalai’s case, his website states that he supports traditional Republican positions like school choice, protecting women’s sports and an emphasis on deregulation to promote economic activity.

Asked about his positions, Kalai said he has championed Republican causes for years.

“I think even if you look back to my time in law school at Columbia, I was on the board of the Federalist Society, which everyone knows is not just Republican — it’s a preeminent conservative institution defending the Constitution. So when you look at the facts, there should really be no doubt about my credentials as a conservative or a Republican,” Kalai said, alluding to the conservative and libertarian studies group.

[TEXAS EARLY VOTING BEGINS AHEAD OF CONTENTIOUS MARCH 3 PRIMARY ELECTIONS]

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Kalai’s campaign has received $182,000. Of those, $134,000 has come from his own pocket. Kalai lists his source for those donations as “self-employed” and described that venture as part of a family business.

“I’m the CFO at Amerapex,” Kalai said, referring to a technology, engineering and industrial services company based in Houston. “It’s a family business. I own a very significant portion of it in shares. The other shareholders are my brother, my father and my mother. We own 100% of the company together.”

His campaign has also received two donations from his parents, Bashar and Grigitte Kalai, both for $3,500 — the most one donor can give a candidate for the primary, according to federal law.

[image_5]

Bashar Kalai’s donation to his son, a Republican, goes against the grain of his past political contributions. As Hale pointed out, Bashar has a long track record of political donations — to Democrats.

In addition to his contributions to Beto O’Rourke, he has donated to the campaigns of Hillary Clinton, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., the House Majority PAC, which is controlled by Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives and other Democratic candidates.

Hale, Kalai’s opponent, believes his proximity to his son should raise questions about Alexander Kalai’s affiliations.

“I’d love to hear an explanation as to why someone comes out of the blue with all this blue money and says, ‘Hey, I’m a Republican. You’ve never heard of me. I’ve never voted in a primary, but I’m the Republican you need. It doesn’t make sense,” Hale said.

Kalai pushed back on Hale’s characterizations, arguing that his father’s past contributions don’t preclude him from holding Republican positions. When asked if his father’s political views ever clashed with his own, Kalai said his father had encouraged him to pursue his own course.

“My parents are like pro go try everything. Go do whatever you want and be your own man. That’s, that’s what they’ve always supported. There have been a few times over the years when we’ve gotten into like, you know, sort of real arguments,” Kalai said.

“My family’s actually pretty split. My mother’s very conservative and part of the right and my brother is so far to the right he’s perhaps an anarchist. So I think this doesn’t mean anything,” Kalai said.

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Kalai confirmed that he has never voted in a primary.

[DAVID MARCUS: IN DALLAS, VOTERS WEIGH TWO SENATE PRIMARIES AND NOW, A WAR]

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At the end of the day, Hale said his concerns stretch beyond the particulars of Kalai’s campaign. He fears that candidates with sufficient financial backing, like Kalai, could present a convincing picture to voters in a primary process where fundraising is often used to establish legitimacy.

[CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP]

“Money buys attention. In open primaries, we end up in a situation where whoever has the most money —it feels like whoever has the most money wins,” Hale said.

Hale and Kalai will face off at the ballot box on Tuesday evening alongside three other Republican candidates. Whoever wins that primary will face off against incumbent Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Texas, in November.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include Kalai’s response pushing back on allegations that he’s a Democrat meddling in a Texas GOP primary.

Related Article

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[Trump introduces Cornyn, Paxton but stays mum on endorsement in heated GOP primary]

Leo Briceno is a politics reporter for the congressional team at Fox News Digital. He was previously a reporter with World Magazine.

Trump administration considering looser protections for North Atlantic right whale

March 3, 2026 8:29 PM UTC / Reuters

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Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales skim feed and sub-surface feed in the waters off of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, U.S., March 27, 2023. REUTERS/Lauren Owens Lambert Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

March 3 (Reuters) – The Trump administration on Tuesday took the first ​step toward loosening regulations ‌that protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale from ​vessel strikes.

Here are some ​details:

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• The National Marine Fisheries Service ⁠said it is considering ​replacing seasonal vessel speed restrictions ​with whale management areas and technology-based measures to avoid vessel ​strikes.
• There are about 380 ​North Atlantic right whales. Their main ‌threats ⁠to survival include entanglement in fishing gear and collisions with vessels, the agency ​said.
• NMFS, a ​division ⁠of the Commerce Department, is seeking information ​and comments for ​90 ⁠days.
• During the Biden administration, NMFS proposed to toughen vessel ⁠speed ​restrictions, but the ​rule was never finalized.

Reporting by Nichola ​Groom; Editing by Daniel Wallis

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Trump exploring backing militias in Iran to topple weakened regime following strikes: reports

Trump reportedly spoke with Kurdish leaders who have sizable force along Iraq-Iran border following recent bombing campaign

By Louis Casiano
Fox News

Published March 3, 2026 4:49pm EST

President Donald Trump is open to the idea of supporting militia groups in Iran willing to help take out the regime, according to reports.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump has spoken with Kurdish leaders, who have a sizable force along the Iraq-Iran border.

“President Trump has spoken with many regional partners,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the newspaper in a statement, without confirming Trump’s aims.

President Donald Trump confirmed the U.S. launched strikes on Iran on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. Trump is reportedly considering backing militias in Iran to topple the regime. (The White House via X Account/Anadolu via Getty Images/Contributor/Getty Images)

Trump spoke with two leaders of the main Kurdish factions in Iraq — Masoud Barzani and Bafel Talabani — a day after the Saturday bombing campaign began, Axios first reported.

Officials told the Journal that Trump hasn’t made a decision on the matter, including what type of help the United States would provide, be it arms, intelligence or other resources.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House.

TRUMP SENDS OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION TO CONGRESS ON STRIKES AGAINST IRAN

This map shows the targets of Iran’s retaliatory strikes.(Fox News)

Among the approaches being looked at for Iran moving forward are backing militias while weighing different scenarios for who could realistically take power after the country’s leaders fall, the newspaper reported.

Trump has urged the people of Iran to overthrow the country’s regime as Tehran appears to be weakened following U.S. and Israeli military strikes that have killed several key Iranian leaders and officials.

“Most of the people we had in mind are dead,” he told reporters at the White House. “And now we have another group, they may be dead also. Pretty soon we’re not going to know anybody.”

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A person holds an image of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as Iranian demonstrators protest against the U.S.-Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 28, 2026.(Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)

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The strikes have fueled speculation that the Kurds could advance into Iran amid Israeli strikes in the western part of the country.

“It is the general view, and certainly (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu’s view, that the Kurds are going to come out of the woodwork … that they’re going to rise up,” one official told Axios.

Louis Casiano is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to louis.casiano@fox.com.

Trump concedes Iran war may push up oil prices for Americans

March 3, 2026 at 6:48 p.m. EST / The Washington Post

The president says higher energy costs will be temporary as markets react to the conflict and the White House faces questions about the strikes’ rationale.

By Michael Birnbaum

President Donald Trump acknowledged for the first time on Tuesday the economic toll for Americans of his assault on Iran, saying that oil prices were likely to spike as a result of the fighting in the Persian Gulf but insisting they would eventually dip.

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By Michael Birnbaum

Michael Birnbaum is a White House correspondent for The Washington Post, covering the Trump presidency. He previously covered national security and diplomacy from Washington and served more than a decade in Europe as The Post’s bureau chief in Brussels, Moscow and Berlin. He joined The Post in 2008. Send him secure tips on Signal at @mbwp.01.follow on X@michaelbirnbaum

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Fox News Poll: Views are divided on US action against Iran

By Dana Blanton | Fox News
Published March 3, 2026 6:00pm EST

Voters are divided on U.S. military action against Iran, even as a majority sees the country as a security risk.

A new Fox News national survey finds 61% think Iran poses “a real national security threat” to the United States.That view is similar to most previous Fox News surveys since 2006. The notable exception was when concern hit 73% last June, right before the U.S. military mission against Iranian nuclear facilities called Operation Midnight Hammer.

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Even though a majority views Iran as a danger to the country, that concern does not translate into majority support for the current U.S. military action, as 50% approve and 50% disapprove.

In addition, 51% think President Trump’s handling of Iran has made the U.S. less safe, up from 43% last July. Twenty-nine percent say he’s made the U.S. safer. By comparison, when the same question was asked about former President Biden in 2023, 50% said his handling of Iran had made the U.S. less safe, while 12% said safer.

FOX NEWS POLL: BEYOND RED VS. BLUE, FINDING ME + YOU ACROSS THE POLITICAL DIVIDE

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Among Republicans, more than 8 in 10 approve of the current U.S. use of force, while only 6 in 10 say the president’s actions on Iran are making the U.S. safer.

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Nearly 8 in 10 Democrats disapprove of the U.S. strikes and think things are less safe because of Trump’s performance, while 6 in 10 or more independents think the same on both counts.

Among voters who have served in the military, 59% approve of the U.S. strikes on Iran (39% disapprove). Compared to voters overall, who say the U.S. is less safe by a wide margin, veterans are more closely divided on the question of whether Trump’s actions have made the country safer (37%) or less safe (44%).

In a joint effort with Israel, the United States started launching strikes on Iran on Saturday morning as part of a mission called “Operation Epic Fury.” All survey interviews were conducted after the bombings began, from Saturday through Monday.

Trump’s job rating on foreign policy is underwater by 20 points, as 40% approve and 60% disapprove — including 21% of Republicans who disapprove.

Some 43% of voters approve of Trump’s overall job performance, while 57% disapprove. In January and December, it was 44% approve vs. 56% disapprove.

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Perceptions of how the United States is viewed abroad have improved slightly since the end of the Biden administration. While a majority of 56% say the country is less respected around the world than it was four years ago, that’s an improvement from 61% who said the same in 2024 under former President Biden. Meanwhile, 30% say the U.S. is more respected, up from 23% under Biden and 29% during Trump’s first term.

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Two-thirds of voters are generally concerned that Trump’s use of executive orders and acting without Congressional approval may be permanently altering the country’s system of checks and balances. The results are nearly identical to when this same question was asked about Barack Obama during his presidency.

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The survey also revisited attitudes about last June’s U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. When asked to think back, voters are closely divided between saying those strikes were mostly successful (30%) and mostly a failure (31%), but the most common answer is it’s too soon to say (37%). That’s about the same as views in July 2025, immediately following the strikes.

Conducted February 28-March 2, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,004 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (104) and cellphones (642) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (258). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.

Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.

As head of the polling unit, Dana Blanton runs the Fox News Poll and oversees the Fox News Voter Analysis election survey.

United Airlines can now boot passengers who refuse to use headphones with their devices

2026-03-03 / CBS News

United Airlines is taking steps to limit noise in its planes’ cabins, while still allowing travelers to use their personal electronic devices.

United amended its so-called contract of carriage, which outlines the carrier’s rules and policies, to require that all passengers wear headphones when listening to a device. The airline also said it reserves the right to remove anyone who doesn’t comply with the new rules and potentially ban them from flying on United in the future.

Any passenger listening to music, watching a video or scrolling a social media feed that emits sound must wear headphones, states the revised contract of carriage, which United quietly updated on Friday.

The carrier also may “refuse transport, on a permanent basis,” to any passengers who “fail to use headphones while listening to audio or video content,” according to the airline’s new rules.

Travel expert Scott Keyes told CBS News he’s unaware of any other major U.S. airline that has adopted such a rule. Carriers encourage passengers to wear headphones, but none explicitly states that failure to comply with that request could result in removal from an aircraft, he said.

“This is in line with how the vast majority of travelers comport themselves and would like others to comport themselves,” he said. “It’s usually only a small number of folks on airplanes who are making noise by not using headphones, so this is a graceful way to handle those folks.”

United notes on its website that, in some instances, it will provide customers who forget theirs a free pair of earbuds.

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“Don’t worry if you forget your headphones for your flight. If they’re available, you can request free earbuds,” the airline states.

Edited by Alain Sherter

Florida public universities temporarily halt hiring foreigners on H1-B visas

March 3, 2026 10:26 PM UTC / Reuters

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visits a temporary migrant detention center informally known as “Alligator Alcatraz” in Ochopee, Florida, U.S., July 1, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

March 3 (Reuters) – Florida’s public universities will temporarily halt hiring foreign faculty members using the H-1B visa program, which ​allows employers to recruit highly skilled professionals in ‌specialized occupations.

The move comes after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis directed schools last October to crack down on what he described as “visa abuse” in ​higher education.

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The Florida Board of Governors, which oversees ​the state’s public universities, voted for a temporary ban ⁠that will stay in effect until January 5, 2027, ​according to the regulation posted on the board’s website.

The move ​will only affect new employees at the 12 universities in the State University System of Florida.

Last year, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a one-time $100,000 fee ​for new H-1B visa applicants amid his wider crackdown on ​immigration in the United States.

The office of DeSantis and the board of ‌governors ⁠were not immediately available for contact.

The H-1B visa program allows foreign professionals in specialized occupations – primarily in science, technology, engineering and mathematics – to work in the U.S. It offers ​65,000 visas annually, ​with another ⁠20,000 visas for workers with advanced degrees, approved for three to six years.

More than 600 ​beneficiaries were approved for H-1B visas by the ​12 ⁠Florida schools last year, according to data on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ website.

Last October, DeSantis said U.S. universities “were importing ⁠foreign ​workers on H-1B visas instead of ​hiring Americans who are qualified and available to do the job”.

Reporting by Jasper ​Ward in Washington; Editing by David Ljunggren and Daniel Wallis

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‘I feel just like a sitting duck’: Americans stranded by war in Middle East express frustration

31 min ago
PUBLISHED Mar 3, 2026, 6:05 PM ET

Americans stranded in the Middle East as the war in the region escalates are speaking out about their frustration and fears as the Trump administration seeks to reassure them that they are working to get them home.

“I feel just like a sitting duck,” one stranded American told CNN Tuesday morning.

The administration on Tuesday said it is looking at options including using military aircraft and charter flights to relocate US citizens in the Middle East who want to depart.

The efforts come days after the US and Israel launched its operation against Iran, prompting retaliatory attacks by Iran on countries throughout the Middle East.

The administration has come under immense scrutiny, particularly from those who are stuck, for what they said has been a lack of guidance and assistance. And earlier on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump suggested they hadn’t had an evacuation plan in place because things unfolded too quickly.

“There is widespread frustration,” said an American currently in the United Arab Emirates who is trying to leave. “Do we head to the airport? Do we stay sheltered in place? The directive of the US government is completely unclear, they are saying to shelter in place but also to seek out commercial flights and there was no advance warning that a war was about to break out.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday afternoon that they “are confident we’re going to be able to assist every American.” More than 1,500 US citizens had reached out to request assistance, he said.

“We have identified and continue to identify charter flights, military flight options, and expanded commercial flight options, meaning working with the airlines to send bigger airplanes with more seats,” the top US diplomat said, but noted they were contending with airspace closures.

The State Department announced in a media note on Tuesday it “is facilitating charter flights from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan for American citizens, and will continue to secure additional capacity as security conditions allow.”

The note said the Department was “actively helping American citizens book” commercial tickets from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Egypt.

“For those in countries lacking commercial aviation availability, the department is facilitating travel to third countries as conditions allow. That includes increasing ground transportation options for American citizens wishing to leave Israel,” the State Department said.

US citizens who take the US-facilitated travel will not be required to pay the US government back for the cost, the department added.

A senior State Department official said they are “proactively contacting US citizens to offer them seats on these flights.” They also said that US embassies are helping US citizens travel from countries with closed airspace to locations with available charter flights, including using charter buses.

State Department officials have urged Americans to contact the Department if they are stuck overseas and need assistance at +1-202-501-4444. More than 120 people are fielding the calls at that 27/4 call center, a State Department official said.

‘It would be hilarious if it wasn’t so frustrating’

However, US citizens who have reached out to the State Department said they were frustrated by the very limited guidance they have received.

And the number, when one calls it, still advised in a recorded message on Tuesday afternoon, “please do not rely on the US government for assisted departure or evacuation at this time.” It urged Americans to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program for updates and said, “in the event of ongoing military action, Americans should shelter in place until it is safe to move about freely.”

That anger of those stuck was amplified for many when the State Department’s top official for consular affairs – days after the start of military operations – called on US citizens to “DEPART NOW” on “available commercial travel” from more than a dozen countries in the Middle East. There are virtually no commercial travel options available from the majority of those countries.

“It would be hilarious if it wasn’t so frustrating,” said Forrest Harrington, a US citizen stuck in Dubai. He was only meant to have a layover there on Saturday and was returning to the US from a work trip in India.

He said if the department had urged Americans against traveling to the region last week, he would have altered his travel plans.

“We decided to attack Iran, not knowing what to do with our citizens in other countries, you know, meanwhile, the UAE Government has, you know, housed and fed me since I got here and I’ve received nothing from my own government,” he told CNN. Harrington said he had not received any updates from the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.

“The Department of State tells me to evacuate, but there’s no way to do so,” said Katie, an American stuck in Bahrain. “I cannot believe there is no support for US Citizens stranded when the US started this conflict.”

“I was just supposed to have a short layover and now I’m here for the indefinite future, getting more and more trauma by the day,” she told CNN.

Todd Brown, a former acting assistant secretary of state for diplomatic security, said “certainly there should have been some notice” to Americans “about the concern over what could be looming.”

“We put military assets in the region, he told CNN. “That’s a change and an elevation of things. So, I would have thought there would have been consular to some degree advising Americans.”

The efforts to help Americans get back to the US also come as the State Department is reducing its diplomatic footprint across the region. The State Department ordered non-emergency personnel and their family members to depart from six countries – Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE – due to security concerns. Over the past several days, government personnel have been instructed to shelter in place in a number of countries. The US has temporarily closed diplomatic facilities in Pakistan, Beirut, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait due to security risks.

The first senior State Department official said the department has briefed 750 congressional staff, and that the Bureau of Consular Affairs would brief governors from across the country and their senior staff on Tuesday.

A second senior department official said they had assisted over 130 American citizens to depart Israel and 100 more were expected to depart Tuesday.