New Delhi, March 12 -- The State Department has authorized the use of up to $40 million in emergency funds to pay for evacuation charter flights for Americans to leave the Middle East because of disruptions in transportation caused by the Iran war.

The department had approved the use of money from a fund normally reserved for emergencies involving diplomatic and consular staff, according to two U.S. officials who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The State Department confirmed the use of the emergency funds but declined to specify the amount.

"We have sufficient funding to cover our efforts to date," it said in response to a query from the AP. "The administration will w...