Latest news with #USCitizens
Fox News
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
US Virtual Embassy in Iran urges Americans to evacuate country immediately after partial airspace reopening
The U.S. Virtual Embassy in Iran is insisting that Americans leave the Middle Eastern country amid conflicts in the region after a partial reopening of its airspace. This comes after a ceasefire agreement between Iran and Israel to end the nearly two-week conflict. "As of June 26, 2025, Iran's airspace has been partially reopened, although business trips from Tehran and other major centers may be interrupted," the embassy said in an advisory. "US citizens should follow local media and consult with commercial airlines to get more information about flights departing from Iran." American citizens who wish to leave Iran must travel by land to Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey or Turkmenistan if the conditions are safe, the embassy said. The U.S. State Department created a crisis information acceptance form for American citizens in Iran to provide information on consular assistance, the embassy noted. But because of the limitations of consular support in Iran, the embassy said it does not anticipate that withdrawal from Iran will be provided with direct assistance from the U.S. government. U.S. citizens who plan to leave Iran must use the available facilities to leave the country, it said. The embassy encouraged Americans wanting to leave Iran to take several actions, including having a plan to leave immediately without relying on the U.S. government, keeping their phones charged and communicating with loved ones about their situation, preparing an emergency plan for emergency situations and signing up for alerts from the U.S. government such as the Intelligent Passenger Registration Program (STEP) that would make it easier to find their location in an emergency abroad. Americans who cannot leave Iran are advised to find a safe place in their residence or another safe building and to carry food, water, medicine and other essential items with them. At certain intervals, the Iranian government has limited access to the mobile internet network and physical phone lines, the embassy said, adding that U.S. citizens should be prepared for internet network outages and develop alternative network connectivity and communication plans. "American-Iranian dual citizens must leave Iran with an Iranian passport and before leaving Iran, they must be ready to face checkpoints and be interrogated by Iranian authorities," the embassy said. "The state of the Iranian government Dual citizenship does not recognize and will treat American-Iranian dual citizens only as Iranian citizens. US nationals in Iran are at significant risk of interrogation, arrest, and detention. Showing a US passport or proving a connection with the United States is sufficient reason for the arrest of a person by the Iranian authorities." "US passports may be confiscated in Iran," it continued. "American-Iranian dual citizens should consider that in their Iranian passport, they will receive the necessary visas for the countries they will pass through on their return trip to the United States, so that in case of confiscation of their American passport, they can use [their] Iranian passport in Iran. These people can then apply for a new US passport in the country they will pass through." U.S. citizens who reside in Iran with a permanent residence visa, regardless of how long they are staying, must obtain an exit permit when departing Iran, the embassy said, noting that all Iranian passport holders are required to pay exit fees.
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Americans detained trying to send rice, Bibles, dollar bills to North Korea
South Korean authorities have detained six United States citizens who were attempting to send an estimated 1,300 plastic bottles filled with rice, US dollar bills and Bibles to North Korea by sea, according to news reports. The US suspects were apprehended in the early hours of Friday morning after they were caught trying to release the bottles into the sea from Gwanghwa island, near a restricted front-line border area with North Korea, South Korea's official Yonhap news agency reports. The six were taken into custody after a coastal military unit guarding the area reported them to the police. The area in question is restricted to the public after being designated a danger zone in November due to its proximity to the north. Activists floating plastic bottles or flying balloons across South Korea's border with the north have long caused tensions on the Korean Peninsula. An administrative order banning the launch of anti-Pyongyang propaganda towards the north is already in effect for the area, according to Yonhap. On June 14, police detained an activist for allegedly flying balloons towards North Korea from Gwanghwa Island. Two South Korean police officers confirmed the detentions of the six with The Associated Press news agency but gave no further details. In 2023, South Korea's Constitutional Court struck down a 2020 law that criminalised the sending of leaflets and other items to North Korea, calling it an excessive restriction on free speech. But since taking office in early June, the new liberal government of President Lee Jae-myung is pushing to crack down on such civilian campaigns with other safety-related laws to avoid a flare-up in tensions with North Korea and promote the safety of front-line South Korean residents. Lee took office with a promise to restart long-dormant talks with North Korea and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula. His government has halted front-line anti-Pyongyang propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts, and similar North Korean broadcasts have not been heard in South Korean front-line towns since then. It remains unclear if North Korea will respond to Lee's conciliatory gesture after it pledged last year to sever relations with South Korea and abandon the goal of peaceful Korean reunification. Official talks between the Koreas have been stalled since 2019, when the US-led diplomacy on North Korean denuclearisation derailed.
Arab News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
About 400 passengers have left Israel on US-assisted flights
The State Department is sharing information with over 27,000 people about leaving the regionThe US started some limited assisted-departure flights for US citizens WASHINGTON: The United States has helped about 400 US citizens and others to fly out of Israel since Saturday amid conflict with Iran and hopes to accommodate more in the coming days, a senior State Department official said on Tuesday.'We very much know that there's still capacity, still US citizens seeking to leave Israel, that the airspace is not reliably opened up. It is incredibly dynamic,' the official State Department is sharing information with over 27,000 people about leaving the region and safety and security, the official said, up from 25,000 last US started some limited assisted-departure flights for US citizens, lawful permanent residents and their immediate family members on official said thousands had also left Israel overland for Jordan, while several hundred had departed through Egypt over the past two days. Several thousand US citizens have gone to Cyprus on ships, mostly arranged by Birthright or other private have left Iran through Azerbaijan, the official said. Turkmenistan has been restricting the entry of US citizens but is now allowing them in after weekend diplomatic State Department is aware of reports of a couple of US citizens detained in Iran in this process but has no additional information to share, the official President Donald Trump announced on Monday that Israel and Iran had reached a ceasefire deal, although violations were launched a surprise attack on June 13, hitting Iran's nuclear sites and killing the top echelon of its military missile strikes have killed 28 people in Goldstone, who arrived in Florida on Tuesday after leaving Israel through an effort to evacuate Americans organized by Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Emergency Management, said his family tried any way to get out of the country but that there were not many options.'It was pretty indescribable. We left Sunday morning. There were sirens. We took a bus all the way to the Jordanian border. We spent hours at the border there trying to cross over,' Goldstone contracted the operation with Grey Bull Rescue, a Tampa-based foundation aiming at rescuing Americans from conflict zones, as well as the state's Department of wife, Donna Goldstone, said they had had to run to bomb shelters over 25 times.'Sleepless nights for the past week and a half. It has been really intense,' she said.
Arab News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Rubio thanks Turkmenistan for letting through Americans from Iran
WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday thanked Turkmenistan and promised cooperation with the authoritarian state after it let US citizens cross through as they fled Iran following Israeli one of the world's most closed and authoritarian countries, initially balked at allowing Americans to cross but agreed over the weekend following appeals from Washington, officials in his call with Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov, 'expressed gratitude for Turkmenistan's cooperation,' State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said he 'looks forward to further partnership with Turkmenistan, including expanding economic and commercial ties,' she has organized evacuation flights for its citizens in Israel, but has limited capacity in Iran due to the lack of diplomatic US citizens in Iran are dual nationals and hundreds have left since Israel launched its military campaign on June 13, another State Department official 200 Americans had voiced an interest in going through Turkmenistan, which shares a 1,148-kilometer (713-mile) border with Iran, although so far only 'tens' have proceeded through that route, the official said.'We're communicating to all of the US citizens... in Iran looking to go to Turkmenistan that that border is open,' the official said on customary condition of flights unavailable, the vast majority have gone through Azerbaijan, with some also going through Armenia and Turkiye, the official Donald Trump, who has prioritized cracking down on immigration, earlier this month banned virtually all Iranian citizens and partially restricted nationals of Turkmenistan from entering the United visa restrictions continue to apply to Iranian nationals who leave even if they are family members of US citizens, the State Department official on Monday announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran but voiced frustration at implementation.
Al Arabiya
4 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
About 400 passengers have left Israel on US-assisted flights, official says
The US has helped about 400 US citizens and others to fly out of Israel since Saturday amid conflict with Iran, and hopes to accommodate more in the coming days, a senior State Department official said on Tuesday. 'We very much know that there's still capacity, still US citizens seeking to leave Israel, that the airspace is not reliably opened up. It is incredibly dynamic,' the official said. The State Department is sharing information with over 27,000 about leaving the region and safety and security, the official said, up from 25,000 last week. The US started some limited assisted-departure flights for US citizens, lawful permanent residents and their immediate family members on Saturday. The official said thousands had also left Israel overland for Jordan, while several hundred had departed through Egypt over the past two days. Several thousand US citizens have gone to Cyprus on ships, mostly arranged by Birthright or other private groups. Hundreds have left Iran through Azerbaijan, the official said. Turkmenistan has been restricting the entry of US citizens but is now allowing them in after weekend diplomatic efforts. The State Department is aware of reports of a couple of US citizens detained in Iran in this process but has no additional information to share, the official said. US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that Israel and Iran had reached a ceasefire deal, although violations were reported. Israel launched a surprise attack on June 13, hitting Iran's nuclear sites and killing the top echelon of its military command. Retaliatory missile strikes have killed 28 people in Israel.
