US says 17,500 Americans returned from war zone

By AFP March 4, 2026 | 06:44 pm PT

This U.S. Navy handout photo released by US Central Command public affairs shows an F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151, making an arrested landing on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 3, 2026. Photo by US Navy via AFP

More than 17,500 Americans have returned to the United States since the country and Israel launched war on Iran last weekend, the State Department said Wednesday.

More than 8,500 Americans returned on Tuesday, assistant secretary of state Dylan Johnson said.

He said that the State Department had assisted nearly 6,500 people with most Americans leaving on their own, and virtually all taking commercial flights.

The United States is in the process of arranging charter flights and, in a break with precedent, is waiving fees for Americans who board.