2 Twin Cities residents stranded in Dubai amid Iran war

America's war with Iran has left Minnesota travelers stranded a world away from home. Two friends from St. Paul and Crystal are among those suddenly caught in the war zone.

"It's been, I mean, kind of nerve-wracking," said Anna Rickert of Crystal.

Rickert and her friend, Laura vanZandt, arrived in Dubai the day before the airstrikes began and say they keep running into roadblocks. It was a weekend stopover with the final destination of Sri Lanka, which they now say has turned into an unknown residence, at least for now.

"We were supposed to leave Sunday, March 1, and then things happened," vanZandt of Saint Paul said.

"We have felt safe here, you know, with the UAE. They've been shooting down a lot of missiles," Rickert said.

The United Arab Emirates is one of 14 Middle Eastern countries the U.S. State Department says Americans should leave due to "serious safety risks."

"Definitely, when they released that, it made me really nervous. I was like, 'Laura, let's book immediately,'" Rickert said.

The two say the U.S. government's guidance has been frustrating.

"They said, 'If you need assistance, call this number.' The first time I called, I spoke to someone that, they were very obviously just reading from a script that said we're not able to help you at this time," vanZandt added, saying after a couple of days, "It just became a recording saying we're still not able to help you."

The State Department says one charter flight for Americans left an unspecified Middle East location on Wednesday and that more are coming. It's something Rickert and vanZandt have heard, too, but say information is vague.

"I think that certain things, while, yes, there is war going on and there are many threats happening, I think a lot of things are very sensationalized," vanZandt said.

When WCCO asked when their trip to Sri Lanka would occur, Rickert said, "So when's that trip gonna happen? Is it? Good question."

"At this point, you know, we just want to get home to our family and loved ones," vanZandt said.

After having four flights canceled, the friends now have a return flight planned for Sunday, but they aren't confident it will take off.