Trump urges Americans to leave Middle East as Iran war escalates

President Donald Trump has called on Americans to leave countries across the Middle East as tens of thousands of U.S. citizens slowly return home after being caught in the fallout of the U.S. decision to launch military strikes on Iran, a move that has pushed the region deeper into conflict.

More than 28,000 Americans have left the region since the conflict began, according to U.S. officials. The evacuations come as fighting between U.S. and Israeli forces and Iran enters its eighth day, with no clear sign of de-escalation.

The U.S. Department of State said it is assisting stranded citizens by coordinating charter flights and evacuation plans. However, critics say the response came days after the initial strikes, leaving many Americans scrambling to find shelter or arrange their own routes out of the region.

The crisis began when the United States launched strikes on Iranian targets in coordination with Israel, dramatically escalating tensions and triggering fears of a wider regional war

Speaking Saturday, Trump warned that “Iran will be hit very hard,” as the conflict intensified. In a separate statement, he claimed that Iran — which he said was “being beat to hell” — had apologized and effectively surrendered to neighboring countries in the region. Iranian officials have not confirmed those claims.

The president also said Friday that U.S. arms manufacturers would quadruple their output, a signal that the conflict could expand or last longer than initially anticipated.

Meanwhile, Israel has widened its military campaign against the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon. Israeli authorities ordered the evacuation of about 100,000 residents in areas targeted for operations as airstrikes killed scores and raised fears that the fighting could spread further across the region.

With Americans continuing to leave the Middle East and hostilities showing no sign of easing, pressure is growing on the Trump administration over both the decision to escalate the conflict and the pace of assistance for U.S. citizens caught in it.