(WXYZ) — A Pittsburgh man is stuck in Dubai and Michigan residents with ties to the region face uncertainty as the US-Israel offensive against Iran enters its second day.
Watch Faraz's report below
More than 24 hours after the United States and Israel launched major daylight strikes on Iran, the Middle East remains in chaos. Iranian counterstrikes have intensified across the region — especially following the killing of the country's supreme leader — and flight operations across key hubs have been suspended, leaving travelers stranded and families on edge.
President Donald Trump announced Saturday that the US and Israel launched the strikes aiming to cripple Iran's military and wipe out its nuclear program. Experts say unlike June's overnight raids, this offensive could last for days.
In response, Iran has launched a wave of attacks across the region, targeting Israel and areas near US bases in the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan.
The latest round of talks between Iran and the US on Thursday ended without a deal, though Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, who served as a mediator, said the talks made significant progress and that a "peace deal is within our reach ... if we just allow diplomacy the space it needs to get there."
To understand the implications and possible fallout, 7 News Detroit's Faraz Javed spoke with Dr. Saeed Khan, associate professor at Wayne State University with 22 years of experience in geopolitics.
"Over the next 24 to 48 hours, I would look at, first of all, what is going to be the American and the Israeli military posture. Is there going to be an escalation? Is there going to be sustained attacks on Iran? And then, of course, taking a look and seeing what are going to be Iranian responses and retaliations," Khan said.
Khan also addressed the danger facing Americans in the region — and the disruption hitting travelers with ties to Michigan.
"I don't think that Americans, per se, are necessarily going to be targeted by what's going on in this. They may be, unfortunately, collateral damage depending on the missiles and the attacks. At the same time, as you mentioned, there is going to be tremendous disruption to aviation because at least two of the world's largest airlines, Emirates, which is hubbed in Dubai, Qatar Airways, which is hubbed in Doha, the airspace over Qatar and the UAE have been suspended, particularly for those in the Detroit metro area. There are a lot of people who have ties to the Middle East, South Asia, and beyond, and Doha and Dubai are very, very popular sites for people to use," Khan said.
As soon as the strikes began, neighboring countries closed their airspace — leaving travelers like Pittsburgh native Brian Kolowitz stranded. Kolowitz had just wrapped up his second golf trip in the UAE and was preparing to fly home from Dubai International Airport when the attacks began.
"Number of rockets flying from Iran into Abu Dhabi, which is where we at earlier in the week, and those rockets being intercepted over the city and debris falling," Kolowitz said.
I spoke with Kolowitz on Saturday evening as he sat on the plane, watching international news coverage of the strikes unfold.
"You know, because we were still in the plane, I thought we would be able to get out. But as the time went on, we all knew we would not make it today," Kolowitz said.
Kolowitz is now back in his hotel room in Dubai, waiting for further instructions.
"It's a very concerning situation, I think my biggest concern is kind of understanding, how long the situation is going to unfold, and how long I will be stranded," Kolowitz said.
Kolowitz said he has already reached out to US officials for guidance.
"Yes, I left a voicemail with contact information, and right now it's shelter in place," Kolowitz said.
I spoke with Kolowitz again Sunday morning — and he remains stranded in Dubai. Flight operations in the UAE are suspended until Monday evening.
The moment is also being felt deeply by members of Michigan's Iranian-American community. Dr. Armand Ash-Rafzadh, a University of Detroit Mercy professor who moved to the US from Iran in 1978, called the moment historic.
"Currently I feel very well, because of the activities that is being conducted by the people inside of Iran. Who are demonstrating for a change," Ash-Rafzadh said.
Ash-Rafzadh said he hopes the upheaval leads to lasting political change in Iran.
"I like the establishment of democracy and freedom in Iran," Ash-Rafzadh said.
He acknowledged, however, that not everyone in Iran shares that view.
"Our point of view is based on democracy and freedom and separation of religion from the government; they want religion to be involved with the government," Ash-Rafzadh said.
With family and friends in the Middle East, Javed is also hearing about continuous missile alert warnings and shelter-in-place advisories being issued to the public. The UAE is considered one of the safest countries in the world, and authorities there are working with the US and other countries to de-escalate the situation as well as keep residents and visitors safe. Channel 7 will continue following developments in the Middle East closely.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
