American teacher stuck in Abu Dhabi amid Iran conflict: "There are no flights"

On a Tuesday morning Zoom call with CBS News Philadelphia's Dan Snyder, Nate Bowling paused in the middle of a question.

"One sec, there's something happening right now. Hold on," Bowling said, peering out of the window of his Abu Dhabi apartment. "OK, there was just an interception just now."

It's become the reality for the American teacher who has lived since 2019 in the United Arab Emirates, a country that sits just across the Persian Gulf from Iran and that has seen the fallout from this latest conflict between the United States and Iran.

"We hear interceptions multiple times a day," Bowling said. "There was an alert that went off at like 3 o'clock in the morning, woke us up, and we could hear the interceptions. But we're safe and well here right now."

The U.S. Air Force Reserve veteran, former National Teacher of the Year finalist and Tacoma, Washington, native teaches social studies at an American Embassy school in the UAE. Many of his students are American children whose parents work at the Embassy, in the oil and gas industry, or who do business in the Gulf state.

"It's a slice of America here in the region. There are over 50,000 Americans in the UAE right now," Bowling said.

As we enter the fourth day of the escalating conflict, Iran has launched a bevy of weapons at its neighbors in the region. And the UAE hasn't been spared. In a post on X Tuesday morning, the nation's Ministry of Defense reported a total of 186 ballistic missiles had been detected as launched toward the UAE. Another 812 drones were reported, nearly all of them intercepted.

However, officials say three people have been killed in the country since the start of the conflict, and another 68 suffered minor injuries.

On Monday, the U.S. State Department urged Americans to leave 14 countries in the Middle East, including the United Arab Emirates. But days into the fighting, Bowling says that's easier said than done.

"There are no flights," he said. "And to be clear about that: The United States began a war. And then, after the war began, told people to evacuate. But there are no flights, and so nobody can get out."

President Trump on Monday gave a four-to-five week timeline for the U.S. to achieve its objectives in Iran, including destroying the country's ballistic missile and nuclear programs. But the president said the U.S. could go longer if needed.

Aaron Stein, with the Philadelphia-based Foreign Policy Research Institute, said there are some things he's watching closely to see how long the campaign may last.

"Is the air campaign degrading Iran's ability to strike across its borders?" Stein said. "And then, do the Gulf Arab partners get directly involved? So far, they've been indirectly involved, and very quietly, and you're seeing more and more chatter that they're tired of taking drones."

Stein said that while Mr. Trump had discussed the possibility of military action in Iran, the timing of the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes was a bit surprising. And through four days of this campaign, Stein believes the U.S. may have adjusted at least one of its objectives, shifting from a goal of regime change to possibly a more amenable leader.

"Regime change through the air is something that's very difficult," Stein said. "Coercion through the air, so something less than the original stated objectives, is something that's in the realm of possibility."

As for the possibility of ground troops being deployed in Iran, something Mr. Trump has not explicitly ruled out, Stein thinks it's unlikely. He noted the president does not have authorization from Congress, and he likely lacks support from Americans at home for such a campaign.

But as the fighting continues, Stein said there are still a lot of questions, making it hard to predict how much of this conflict plays out.

"Who will be coming up and being the next supreme leader? We don't know if the IRGC, Iran's paramilitary group, will try to sort of take over the country. We don't know if it'll be something in between," Stein said. "It's really so fluid, the answer is still I have no idea."

Bowling, meanwhile, said he's grateful to U.S. military forces in the region and to the UAE government, which has shot down most of the missiles headed their way. At the same time, he's worried about people in other Middle Eastern countries who don't have the same protections.

Bowling said he'll continue to teach remotely as he and his wife look to get to Southeast Asia to stay with family when they can get out of the UAE. But he hopes when they leave it won't be for the last time.

"We don't know how this conflict is going to end or when it's going to end," Bowling said. "And so when I leave my apartment I may be leaving it forever. I don't know."

The State Department is encouraging Americans still in the Middle East to register online at step.state.gov or call 202-501-4444.