US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that there was no evacuation plan for Americans in the Middle East before the US-Israeli strikes in Iran, claiming that the military operation unfolded too quickly to organize such efforts in advance, UNN reports with reference to CNN.
"Because it all happened very quickly," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about the thousands of Americans stranded in the region and why there was no evacuation plan.
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Trump did not directly address the logistics of assisting Americans abroad, saying he could turn to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, "but I thought we would have a situation where we would be attacked. They were preparing to attack Israel."
"They were preparing to attack others," he said of Iran.
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The president's comments came amid growing concerns about the safety of US citizens in the region.
The State Department urged Americans across the Middle East to "depart now" by commercial means. It is unlikely that most will be able to depart quickly, as many airlines have suspended their flights in the region. The US government has not initiated evacuation flights for American citizens.