US citizens fleeing Iran amid Israel conflict face delays and harassment

Hundreds of US citizens have left Iran amid Israel's assault, facing delays and harassment. Photo / 123rf.com

Hundreds of US citizens have left Iran through its land borders since the start of Israel’s deadly assault on the country last week, according to a State Department cable circulated to diplomats today and obtained by the Washington Post.

The cable marks a rare, if private, admission by the US Government that large numbers of Americans are in harm’s way as President Donald Trump ruminates whether the United States will join Israel’s campaign to eradicate Iran’s nuclear programme. These citizens are at risk not only from Israeli strikes, which local authorities claim have killed hundreds of civilians, but also from the Iranian regime itself.

The State Department advises Americans in Iran to find alternative routes to leave the country. Photo / AFP

The cable notes that multiple US citizens trying to flee have encountered “delays and harassment” from Iranian authorities and that there are a small number of unconfirmed reports of Americans being detained and imprisoned. The cable said US diplomats were tracking these reports closely.

Separately, the cable noted that Turkmenistan, which shares a long border with Iran, had not approved more than 100 requests from the embassy in Ashgabat for US citizens to enter the country. The State Department was now advising US citizens within Iran to find other routes to leave the country, the cable noted.

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the cable. A spokeswoman, Tammy Bruce, told reporters Friday that the Trump administration does not intend to offer “direct US-government-assisted departure” from Iran. Americans seeking departure “should take advantage of existing means to leave,” she said.

Delays and danger: U.S. citizens face perilous journey out of Iran. Photo / 123rf

Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York and the Turkmenistan Embassy in Washington also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

It is not known how many US citizens are in Iran, but in the past US officials have estimated the number is in the thousands. Bruce told reporters that 25,000 people have received information and support from the State Department amid hostilities in Israel, the West Bank and Iran.

The Iranian Government has a history of targeting foreign citizens and dual nationals, arresting them under flimsy pretences to use them as bargaining chips in diplomatic negotiations, according to human rights groups.

The State Department advises Americans in Iran to find alternative routes to leave the country. Photo / Iranian Presidency, Anadolu via Getty Images

There’s a clear danger dual nationals could end up in the “crosshairs of the conflict,” said Holly Dagres, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “There’s a real risk they might be stopped, questioned and then detained on bogus charges like espionage. American dual nationals are the most vulnerable, given the looming possibility of the US entering the war.”

The United States has not had diplomatic relations with Iran since 1980, the year after a revolution there led to the installation of a theocratic regime and a dramatic 444-day-long hostage crisis at the US Embassy in Tehran.

Switzerland has acted as a protecting power for the United States in Iran, with the Swiss Embassy in Tehran hosting a US Interests Section that informally represents Washington in Iran. The Swiss Government yesterday said it was temporarily closing its embassy because of the conflict, stating that the Ambassador Nadine Olivieri Lozano had been in the last group of diplomats to leave the country and would arrive in Azerbaijan on Friday evening.

“Switzerland will continue to act as an intermediary transmitting communications between the US and Iran as and when both parties consider appropriate,” the Swiss Government said in a statement.

In a public travel advisory updated on Friday, the State Department said US citizens should “not travel to Iran for any reason and should depart Iran immediately if they are there”. Those unable to leave “should be prepared to shelter in place for extended periods”.

The fate of hundreds of thousands of US citizens across the Middle East has been put at risk since June 13, when the Israeli Government launched a widespread attack on the Iranian state, targeting senior government and military officials, along with the country’s nuclear scientists, in what it said was a means to cripple the country’s nuclear programme.

Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel in response. It has threatened to target US interests in the Middle East if the United States joins the conflict on Israel’s side.

The United States has said it is still seeking a diplomatic end to the conflict. However, Trump has given the talks a timeline of up to two weeks to produce a breakthrough deemed suitable to the American leader.

In Israel, where an estimated 700,000 US citizens live, the local embassy has taken on a prominent role in helping Americans flee the country.

“We’re working to get military, commercial, charter flights and cruise ships” for evacuations, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee wrote on social media Thursday. “If you’re offered a seat, take it.”

According to an internal email sent to staff on Friday, the State Department is seeking volunteers to greet embassy colleagues returning from Israel and Iraq to Dulles International Airport outside DC over the next few days, noting that the first chartered flight of returnees from the region had arrived at 4am on Thursday (local time).

Though the flights were primarily for embassy staff, the email noted other US citizens may be on separate flights. The next chartered flight, travelling from Israel, was expected on Friday evening (local time) and may include up to 38 pets, the email said.