UK’s response to its citizens stuck in war zone puts U.S. to shame

US and Israel launch strikes on Iran

On Feb. 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched joint military strikes on Iran. The US called its operation Epic Fury.

Israel named its campaign Roaring Lion. The strikes targeted military sites, leadership, and nuclear facilities, and they killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Iran fired back with missiles and drones across the Gulf, hitting the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. Airspace closed across the region, and thousands of flights stopped.

Travelers got no warning before the chaos

Major airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha shut down overnight.

These hubs connect flights between Europe, Asia, and Australia, so the closures trapped tens of thousands of people mid-trip.

American tourists, business travelers, and people on layovers had no idea a war was about to start. Iranian strikes hit airports and hotels where foreign citizens were staying.

An estimated 300,000 British nationals and tens of thousands of Americans were in the affected area.

Some governments quietly told staff to leave

The day before the strikes, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee emailed embassy staff in Israel that anyone wanting to leave should go “today.” The UK pulled its staff out of Iran on Feb. 27.

China, Germany, Poland, and other countries also urged their citizens to leave Iran beforehand. But no broad public warning went out to American travelers in the wider Gulf region.

Most US citizens there had no advance notice at all.

Britain moved fast to bring people home

By March 2, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper announced rapid-response teams heading to the Gulf. More than 102,000 British nationals registered with the Foreign Office in the first two days.

Cooper said the government was working with the travel industry and looking at every option. The UK told its citizens in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar, and the UAE to sign up online for updates.

British officials coordinated directly with Gulf governments and airlines on evacuation routes.

First flights landed in London by day three

On March 3, the first commercial flight from Dubai since the strikes touched down at London Heathrow. A second flight from Abu Dhabi arrived Tuesday morning.

Passengers said they got just ten minutes’ notice to head to the airport. Emirates ran flights to Heathrow, Gatwick, and Manchester using its large A380 planes.

Etihad also scheduled a flight from Abu Dhabi to Heathrow. People were moving, and the UK government kept pushing for more seats.

UK chartered its own rescue flight

On March 4, the UK Foreign Office confirmed it chartered a government flight out of Muscat, Oman. The most vulnerable travelers got priority, and officials reached out to British nationals directly.

British Airways added extra flights from Oman to Heathrow on Friday and Saturday. Oman Air kept running two daily flights between Muscat and Heathrow throughout the crisis.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Parliament that more than 1,000 Britons came home on commercial flights from the UAE on Tuesday alone.

America told citizens to leave but offered little help

On March 2, the State Department told Americans to leave 14 Middle Eastern countries immediately. The problem: most flights were canceled and airports were closed.

The State Department hotline played an automated message telling callers not to count on the government for evacuation. Multiple US embassies shut down, including in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Beirut.

The US Embassy in Jerusalem said it could not evacuate or directly help Americans trying to leave Israel.

Stranded Americans watched other countries act

Americans called the State Department hotline and got no real guidance.

Some said they watched other countries fly their citizens home while they heard nothing from their own government.

A former acting assistant secretary of state for diplomatic security said there “certainly should have been some notice” given to Americans.

One traveler stranded in Abu Dhabi described hearing bombs at the airport when he arrived for a connecting flight.

A father and his teenage daughter from North Carolina were stuck in Jerusalem during a religious trip with no way out.

Trump said the decision came fast

When asked why no evacuation plan existed, President Trump said the decision to strike came faster than expected. He said he believed Iran was about to attack first.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said evacuations were taking time because the US does not control airspace closures.

Administration officials said the State Department had contacted about 3,000 Americans and that roughly 9,000 had left the region on their own.

Lawmakers from both parties criticized the lack of planning.

US started organizing flights days later

By March 4, the State Department began setting up charter flights from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. The government said it would cover travel costs for Americans.

More than 120 people staffed a round-the-clock call center to coordinate departures. Rubio said about 1,600 Americans had formally asked for help leaving.

But airspace closures kept complicating the logistics, and many travelers were still waiting.

Britain stayed out of the strikes, and that may have helped

The UK chose not to join the initial US-Israeli offensive. Prime Minister Starmer said judging Britain’s national interest was his duty.

That decision likely gave the UK more room to work with Gulf governments on evacuations. The US, as the country that launched the strikes, faced direct Iranian attacks on its embassies and facilities.

Still, the UK had hundreds of thousands of citizens stranded too, and its response had gaps of its own.

What American travelers should take from this

The crisis showed that Americans abroad may not get timely government help when military situations move fast.

One step travelers can take is enrolling in the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, known as STEP.

Anyone in a region with rising tensions should watch government advisories closely and think about leaving early. Travel insurance policies should cover armed conflict.

The events also proved that major Gulf transit hubs can shut down overnight during a regional crisis.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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