Washington, DC -- Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, together with Democratic Members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding answers for the administration’s failure to protect Americans in the Middle East prior to President Trump launching the Iran war. The letter demands that Secretary Rubio explain in writing what planning, if any, the State Department undertook prior to the start of his Iran war to ensure for the safety of thousands of Americans now stranded in countries across the Middle East.
Cosigners of the letter include Representatives William R. Keating; Joaquin Castro; Ami Bera; Sara Jacobs; Jared Moskowitz; Gabe Amo; Madeleine Dean; Bradley Scott Schneider; George Latimer; Greg Stanton; Dina Titus; Pramila Jayapal; Sydney Kamlager-Dove; Johnny Olszewski, Jr; Jonathan L. Jackson; Ted W. Lieu; Kweisi Mfume; Jim Costa; Julie Johnson; Sarah McBride; Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick.
A PDF of the full letter can be found here.
“...Despite these anticipated retaliatory attacks, the Department did not begin to order or authorize the departure of U.S. diplomats and their families until March 2—two days after the war had begun—from Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. U.S. personnel in Karachi and Lahore were evacuated a day later, after the attack in Karachi had already occurred. Additionally, you indicated that more than 1,600 Americans were stranded and seeking means to leave the region after the war began.
“There is no higher responsibility than the safety and security of Americans overseas. Yet the Department under your direction did not prioritize getting Americans out of the conflict area or sufficiently preparing U.S. embassies and personnel for the consequences of President Trump’s decision to begin the war on February 28. It was not until March 2 that Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar posted on X for Americans to, 'DEPART NOW … using available commercial transportation' from 14 countries. But by that time, commercial flights had largely stopped across the region, leaving Americans stranded. The conflicting messaging telling Americans to leave without means of evacuation sowed mass confusion. It took another day for President Trump to state that the United States would start providing government-chartered flights.”
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