Report: US Embassy in Iraq Preparing for Ordered Evacuation Due to ‘Heightened Security Risks'
The US embassy in Iraq is preparing for an ordered evacuation due to heightened security risks in the region, an Iraqi security official and a US source said on Wednesday.
Iran's Minister of Defense Aziz Nasirzadeh said earlier in the day that Tehran will strike US bases in the region if nuclear talks and conflict arise with Washington.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"The State Department is set to have an ordered departure for (the) US embassy in Baghdad. The intent is to do it through commercial means, but the US military is standing by if help is requested," another US official said.
US President Donald Trump said he was less confident that Iran will agree to stop uranium enrichment in a nuclear deal with Washington, according to an interview released on Wednesday.
Another US official said that there was no change in operations at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest US military base in the Middle East and that no evacuation order had been issued for employees or families linked to the US Embassy in Qatar, which was operating as usual.
Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran with bombing if it does not reach a new nuclear deal.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
25 minutes ago
- Arab News
Nationwide protests against immigration raids escalate, leading to arrests and curfews
An anti ICE protesters is detained by Texas state troopers near the Alamo in downtown San Antonio on June 11, 2025. (AP Photo) People gather in protest against ICE, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, raids at the San Antonio City Hall on June 11, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas. (Getty Images via AFP) People march against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids at San Antonio City Hall on June 11, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas. (Getty Images via AFP) AUSTIN, Texas: Protests over federal immigration enforcement raids are flaring up around the country, as officials in cities from coast to coast get ready for major demonstrations against President Donald Trump over the weekend. While many demonstrations against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency have been peaceful, with marchers chanting slogans and carrying signs, others have led to clashes with police who have sometimes used chemical irritants to disperse crowds. Hundreds have been arrested. Volatile protests prompted city officials to enforce curfews in Los Angeles and Spokane. And Republican governors in Texas and Missouri mobilized National Guard troops to be ready to help law enforcement manages demonstrations in those states. Activists are planning 'No Kings' events across the country on Saturday to coincide with Trump's planned military parade in Washington, D.C. While those were already scheduled, they will happen amid the rising tensions of the week. The Trump administration said immigration raids and deportations will continue regardless. A look at some recent protests and reactions across the country: Las Vegas Police said 94 people were arrested on 'various criminal and traffic' charges, and four officers were injured in a Wednesday night protest. Some in the estimated crowd of about 800 threw bottles and rocks at law enforcement, police said. A large crowd gathered on Las Vegas Boulevard near the city's federal courthouse and blocked several streets before police deemed the gathering an unlawful assembly. Police announced in English and Spanish that protesters must leave the area. Local media reported that tear gas, flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets were used to disperse the crowds. Chicago Hundreds of demonstrators packed a park plaza near Lake Michigan on Thursday. Veronica Castro, an organizer with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, urged people to learn how to protect themselves and elected officials to speak out. Demonstrators chanted 'No hate, no fear.' The group later marched along the city's iconic Michigan Avenue, flanked by their own security marshals and Chicago police officers on bicycles and in slow-moving patrol cars. The crowd, including parents with strollers, students and longtime organizers chanted, 'Power to the people, no one is illegal.' Seattle Hundreds of protesters marched through downtown Seattle Wednesday evening to a federal building where immigration cases are heard. Some of them dragged a dumpster nearby and set it on fire. The building was covered in graffiti, with 'Abolish ICE Now' written in large letters across its front window. They moved electric bikes and cones to block its entrance. Dozens of officers squared off with protesters near the federal building, with some shooting pepper spray. Police worked to move the crowd away and some protesters threw fireworks and rocks at officers, according to the Seattle Police Department. Spokane, Washington Mayor Lisa Brown imposed an overnight curfew in downtown Spokane after a protest Wednesday afternoon outside an ICE office that ended with more than 30 arrests and police firing pepper balls at the crowd. Brown said the curfew would 'protect public safety,' and that the majority of protesters were peaceful. 'We respect their right to peacefully protest and to be upset about federal policies,' she said. 'I have been that person who has protested federal policies and that is a right we have.' San Antonio Several hundred protesters marched through downtown San Antonio and near the historic Alamo mission. Although Texas National Guard troops were seen in the area, the demonstration was mostly peaceful with no significant clashes with law enforcement. The Alamo building and plaza, among the most popular tourist attractions in the state, was closed to the public early and police guarded the property as the crowd gathered and marched nearby. Tuscon, Arizona A protest Wednesday outside an ICE office in Tuscon, Arizona, turned into a clash between masked security officers and demonstrators who blocked a roadway, threw balloons filled with paint and spray painted anti-ICE graffiti on the gates and walls of the facility. Video clips showed a security officer who was hit with a water bottle. Masked protesters held makeshift shields as they inched toward the security team, and a member of the security team set off what appeared to be a flash-bang device. At one point, a security officer sprayed a chemical irritant at protesters and a protester responded by firing irritant back at the officers. It was unclear if the officers were private security or federal agents. The Associated Press left messages with the Tucson Police Department and ICE's operation in Arizona. 'No Kings' This week's protests are leading into the scheduled 'No Kings' demonstrations that organizers say are planned in nearly 2,000 locations around the country, from city blocks to small towns, courthouse steps to community parks, according to the movement's website. Organizers plan a flagship march and rally in Philadelphia, but no protests are scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C., where the military parade will be held. In Florida, state Attorney General James Uthmeier warned that any 'No Kings' protesters who become violent will be dealt with harshly. 'If you want to light things on fire and put people in danger, you are going to do time. We do not tolerate rioting,' said Uthmeier said Thursday. Federal prosecutors are watching as well. In a message sent Thursday, a Justice Department official told US attorneys across the country to prioritize cases against protesters who engage in violence and destruction. The email cites several potential federal charges, including assault, civil disorder and damage of government property. Governors and the Guard Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe mobilized National Guard troops in their states ahead of the weekend demonstrations. Abbott said more than 5,000 guard troops and more than 2,000 state police would be ready to assist local law enforcement if needed. Several 'No Kings' rallies are planned in Texas, including in San Antonio, Houston, Dallas and Austin. There were brief clashes between protesters and police who used chemical irritants during demonstrations in Austin and Dallas earlier in the week. Police in Austin made about a dozen arrests. Mayors in San Antonio and Austin have said they didn't ask for help from the National Guard. Kehoe's announcement called his decision a 'precautionary measure' and did not provide specific troop levels or duties. His order authorized guard leadership to call up as many members as necessary. Abbott and Kehoe stand in sharp contrast to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has publicly sparred with Trump over the president's decision to send National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles, where volatile demonstrations have mostly been contained to a five-block section of downtown. All 22 other Democratic governors signed a statement backing Newsom, calling the Guard deployment and threats to send in Marines 'an alarming abuse of power.' ____ Sophia Tareen in Chicago; Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington; Curt Anderson in Tampa, Florida; Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix; David Lieb in Jefferson City, Missouri; Rio Yamat in Las Vegas; and Lisa Baumann and Gene Johnson in Seattle contributed.
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
Lebanon risks losing US support over delays on Hezbollah, economic reforms
The Trump administration remains hopeful that Lebanon's government will fulfill its commitments to the international community—chiefly disarming Hezbollah and implementing key economic and financial reforms. But without tangible progress, Beirut risks losing US support, American officials and sources familiar with internal deliberations told Al Arabiya English. Several US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, pushed back on speculation that Washington is shifting its Lebanon policy. However, they stressed that patience within the administration is wearing thin. Among the rumors circulating is that the US and Israel have agreed not to renew the mandate for the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which comes up for a vote in August. A State Department official rejected the claim, calling it inaccurate, although US officials are considering changes to the mandate's language, citing the need for more effective enforcement. A delegation from the State Department's Bureau of International Organization Affairs is set to visit Beirut this week as part of ongoing policy discussions in the lead-up to the UN vote. Meanwhile, Lebanon's defense minister has called for an unconditional renewal of UNIFIL's mandate. In a separate development, Tom Barrack—US ambassador to Turkey and recently appointed special envoy for Syria—will travel to Lebanon next week, according to officials familiar with his plans. Barrack, a close ally of President Donald Trump who previously held Lebanese citizenship, is expected to assess progress on disarmament and reform. He will also explore the possibility of initiating border demarcation talks between Lebanon and Syria following his meetings with Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa. Focus on Hezbollah's weapons Deputy Special Envoy for Middle East Peace Morgan Ortagus recently underscored the Lebanese government's responsibility to disarm Hezbollah. Despite unconfirmed reports that she had been removed from her post, Ortagus remains in her role, according to the State Department website. While the LAF has deployed to areas it previously was unwilling or incapable of deploying to, 'there's a lot more to go,' Ortagus said. She said Lebanese authorities had done 'more in the last six months than they probably have in the last 15 years.' Under a ceasefire agreement reached last November, Hezbollah was to withdraw its fighters north of the Litani River while Israel pulled out of southern Lebanon. Yet Hezbollah says it will not discuss its remaining weapons until the Israeli occupation of five border points ends. Washington maintains that Hezbollah must fully disarm and dismantle its military infrastructure throughout Lebanon, not just the south. Officials welcomed Beirut's recent decision to enter and demilitarize Palestinian refugee camps—long governed by the 1969 Cairo Agreement—but remain wary that this move could be a diversion from the more pressing Hezbollah file. 'We need to see more than declarations,' a US official said. 'The issue of Hezbollah's arms must be addressed swiftly.' Economic reform and foreign aid The Trump administration also continues to press Lebanon to enact long-awaited economic reforms following its financial collapse, the recent Hezbollah-Israel war, and decades of systemic corruption. US officials noted a broad consensus among Washington, Gulf allies, and international financial institutions that aid will only increase once Lebanon enacts clearly defined reforms. The US is clear-eyed about the challenges due to, among other things, the fact that Parliament is run by Hezbollah ally Nabih Berri, who has long been seen as a face of corruption in Lebanon. Berri's control over the finance ministry has enabled him to block key reform efforts. Still, the US expects concrete movement on reform measures in the near term. 'We want to see results, and we want to see them quickly,' another US official said.
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Returning Syrian refugees cut global displaced total
GENEVA: Refugees returning to Syria have cut the global total of displaced people from a record peak at the end of 2024, the UN said on Thursday. More than 500,000 have returned from abroad and 1.2 million internally displaced people have gone back to their home areas since Bashar Assad was deposed in December. The UN refugee agency estimates 1.5 million from abroad and 2 million internally displaced will return by the end of 2025. Worldwide, a record 123.2 million were forcibly displaced by last December, but the total had fallen to 122.1 million by the end of April. The main drivers of displacement were conflicts in Sudan, Myanmar and Ukraine. 'We are living in a time of intense volatility ... with modern warfare creating a fragile, harrowing landscape marked by acute human suffering,' UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi said. 'We must redouble our efforts to search for peace and find long-lasting solutions for refugees and others forced to flee their homes.'
