US State Department urges Americans to leave Iran after airspace reopening

Washington: The US State Department has urged American citizens in Iran to leave after the Middle Eastern country partially reopened its airspace.

In a social media post on Wednesday (local time), the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs urged Americans to monitor local media for updates closely and to contact commercial airlines for information about outbound flights.

The advisory noted that US citizens may also depart by land to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Turkmenistan. However, it warned against travelling to Afghanistan, Iraq or the Pakistan-Iran border area.

Iran shut down its airspace after joint US-Israeli strikes started on February 28, reports Xinhua news agency.

The country reopened its eastern airspace to international flights on Saturday, paving the way for the partial resumption of airport operations.

In a report on Sunday, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting quoted a senior official from Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization as saying that the country’s airspace would be reopened in four phases.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Donald Trump administration has extended its ceasefire with Iran while maintaining a sweeping naval blockade, with the White House insisting there is no deadline for negotiations and signalling continued economic pressure on Tehran.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the United States is pursuing a dual-track approach, pausing military strikes while intensifying financial and maritime restrictions.

“President Trump announced an extension of the cease fire… and generously offering a bit of flexibility to a regime who has been completely tarnished because of Operation Epic Fury,” she told reporters inside the White House on Wednesday.

She made clear that the pause in combat operations does not signal a reduction in pressure. “There’s a cease fire with the military and kinetic strikes but Operation Economic Fury continues, and the effective and successful naval blockade continues as well,” she said.

According to the White House, the blockade is inflicting significant economic damage. “We are completely strangling their economy through this blockade… they’re losing $500 million a day,” Leavitt said, adding that Iran is unable to move oil shipments or sustain payments.

Despite the escalation in economic pressure, the administration has deliberately avoided setting a timeline for negotiations. “The President has not set a firm deadline… ultimately, the timeline will be dictated by the commander in chief,” she said, rejecting reports of a short window for talks.

IANS