Idaho couple stuck in Dubai, amid conflict in Middle East
Mar 5, 2026, 5:33 PM
A black plume of smoke rises from a warehouse at the industrial area of Sharjah City in the United Arab Emirates following reports of Iranian strikes in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (Altaf Qadri, AP Photo)
(Altaf Qadri, AP Photo)
SALT LAKE CITY — An Idaho couple is trying to get out of Dubai after being stranded due to the war in Iran.
Toni Hunt and her husband, DeVere Hunt, flew into Dubai after a two-week “World Religions” tour in India. “This was supposed to be the safest part of our trip,” Toni Hunt said via telephone.
“We were just supposed to end our trip in Dubai … just for a couple of days, and then were going to head home on Sunday,” Hunt said. “And obviously, due to what happened on Saturday, that didn’t happen. So here we are.”
Last Saturday, as they went into a mosque in Abu Dhabi as part of their tour, they heard a loud boom.
“Nobody acted on it, like … none of the security at the facilities. It was just kind of a boom, and we just… kept moving forward,” DeVere Hunt said via telephone.
“About 20 minutes later, we are actually inside of the mosque, and everybody’s phones and watches and everything went off, kind of like an amber alert. (The messages) stated that missiles are possibly incoming (and) to take shelter. So our tour group immediately says we got to get out of here.”
Hunt said as they left the mosque, they began hearing more booms.
“We looked up, and you can see the Patriot interceptors hitting the missiles,” he said.
Both said they feel relatively safe, even though they’ve seen missiles and drones.
“Since we’ve been here, I think that there’s a little over 700 drones and over 100 missiles that have been launched into the UAE (United Arab Emirates.” Toni Hunt told Inside Sources hosts Greg Skordas and Holly Richardson.
“At first it seemed surreal but now as the days have gone on, and we’re still hearing some of those booms and knowing that that missiles are coming in, it’s still unnerving. We’ve talked to some of the local people here and they said nothing has ever happened before like this here. This is all new to them too.”
Toni Hunt said there are about 65 people in the tour group, mostly from Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. They’re all trying to find a way to get back home. The Hunts have had nearly a half a dozen flights canceled.
“We just have to watch our notifications and then once they’re canceled, we have to call, we can’t change anything online,” Toni said. “[It] usually takes a couple of hours to get a hold of anybody, but once we do, they’re all very helpful and they’re doing their best to field, I’m sure, what are thousands and thousands of calls.”
The couple said they are maintaining two flight bookings at all times.
“And as one falls off or gets canceled, we’ll rebook and hope we get out,” DeVere Hunt said.
The group considered taking a bus from Dubai to Oman because the country’s airspace was open as of Wednesday.
“The travel group we’re working with had arranged for us to get shuttles and everything and get into Oman, fly out of Oman and into India,” Hunt said. “The problem with that whole piece was nothing was guaranteed in getting flights out of Oman.”
The Hunts said the group has reached out to U.S. senators from Utah and Idaho asking for help. But so far, they haven’t heard anything back.
“We registered with the STEP Program. Also, (Secretary of State) Mark Rubio had put out a a phone number for us to call, so I called that number. It takes you to voicemails. I left a message identifying that there’s about 65 Americans in our group,” DeVere Hunt told Inside Sources.
“But I’ve not heard anything back from that message that I had left for them. It is a little bit frustrating from the perspective that we’ve heard that we’re supposed to get out of the area. when it’s impossible to get out of the area.”
Even though they want to get home, Toni Hunt said they are being treated with real kindness.
“The people here are amazing, so kind and so gracious and they want to make sure that everyone feels safe and protected. And the hotel where we’re at has gone above and beyond,” she said.
“Just making sure that we’re comfortable … I can’t say enough about how kind they are and how they really reached out to us to make sure that everything is okay.”
Contributing: Devin Oldroyd, KSL
Related: Utahns stranded in Dubai as war in Iran complicates air travel
