Stranded in Dubai after US strikes on Iran, traveler says she's terrified

A 30-year-old stylist from Houston flew to Dubai with her best friend to celebrate her birthday, arriving early on Feb. 24. Hotel staff celebrated with a cake, roses, and drinks; the trip had been planned about five months earlier. They spent the first days visiting a mosque, the Miracle Garden, and beaches and felt unusually safe.

On Feb. 28, while shopping at the Dubai Mall, a clerk warned she might not be able to return to the resort; she then saw that the US and Israel had struck Iran and rushed back. They are staying in Jumeirah Beach Residence near the Fairmont The Palm, which caught fire during an Iranian air attack, and heard air-defense systems that left her shaken.

Their flight, scheduled for March 1 at 5.30, was canceled the night before. The two cried when they learned they were 8,000 miles from family and uncertain how to get home. They began searching for any way out, prayed, and told loved ones in Texas they did not know when they would return.

United Arab Emirates, Dubai

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