More than 43,000 Americans have left the Middle East since the Iran conflict, the State Department said.

At a briefing on Tuesday (March 10), US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said that special efforts have been made to safely return citizens since the conflict began on February 28. A special task force formed for this purpose has assisted about 30,000 of the people repatriated so far.

The State Department said that more than two dozen charter flights have been operated to evacuate citizens from the Middle East. However, these flights were filled to an average of less than 40 percent of the seats, as many Americans returned home on their own using commercial flights.

Meanwhile, charter flights and ground evacuations from the region are still ongoing. The US government said that any US citizen who needs assistance can apply.

News BBC