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.

A senior State Department official said Wednesday morning that the agency had provided assistance to nearly 6,500 Americans “by providing them critical information, assisting them with transportation options, etc.”

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.”

“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 senior State Department official continued to urge Americans to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive messages from embassies in the region, and said those who needed assistance could call the 24/7 task force hotline at +1-202-501-4444. The State Department on Wednesday also advised Americans in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Israel fill out a crisis intake form about available aviation and ground transportation options.

The official would not say how many charter flights had departed the Middle East, but told reporters that “there are a number in progress very soon.”

The State Department had 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.

“We will proactively reach out when charter flights, charter busses, other options are available. When they call, when they register, we have people right now, hundreds of people proactively making calls. Advice for American people in the region, be ready to go quickly once you receive that call,” State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on CNN’s “The Situation Room” Wednesday.

Asked about the availability of the evacuation options for US legal permanent residents or non-citizen dependents, the senior State Department official said Wednesday they “are prioritizing American citizen departures and we’ll certainly work out these complex family situations to make sure that we’re providing the best service we can in those situations.”

‘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.

?Until at least Tuesday afternoon, callers were advised in a recorded message, “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.”

The recorded message was updated by Wednesday morning, saying, “The US is committed to helping US citizens who want to leave the region to do so.” It said callers should stay on the line for assistance with travel from the region. 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 senior State Department official on Wednesday said they’re “always contingency planning,” and argued that teams overseas and in Washington were adapting to the situation.

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.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.

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