US evacuates personnel from Middle East in sign of growing regional tension

Al Jazeera

a day ago

The United States is preparing a partial evacuation of its embassy in Iraq and has authorised 'the voluntary departure' of dependants of US personnel from locations across the Middle East, including Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, as regional security concerns rise.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on Wednesday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had authorised the departure of military dependants in the region and that CENTCOM was 'monitoring the developing tension'.
Orders for all nonessential personnel to depart the US Embassy in Baghdad – which was already on limited staffing – was based on a commitment 'to keeping Americans safe, both at home and abroad', the Department of State said.
Speaking on Wednesday evening, US President Donald Trump said the order to move staff out had been given because the region 'could be a dangerous place'.
'We'll see what happens. We've given notice to move out, and we'll see what happens,' Trump said.
Trump then added in reference to Iran: 'They can't have a nuclear weapon, very simple. We're not going to allow that.'
Uncertainty has been growing in recent days as talks between the US and Iran over its nuclear programme appear to have hit an impasse.
US news broadcaster CBS reported late on Wednesday that US officials have been informed that Israel is 'fully ready' to launch an attack on Iran and that Washington 'anticipates' that Tehran could retaliate by targeting 'certain American sites in neighbouring Iraq'.
Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher, reporting from Washington, DC, said there have been clear signs in recent days of high-level discussions between senior military officials and the Trump administration amid concern around the ongoing talks with Iran over its nuclear programme.
'Donald Trump has in the last couple of days … expressed his concern that a deal might not be able to be done,' Fisher said.
'Therefore, we are seeing, effectively, the partial evacuation of the embassy in Baghdad with non-military personnel and non-essential staff being moved out. And the voluntary evacuation of other embassies in the region,' he said.
'They've done this sort of thing before,' Fisher said, noting the Baghdad embassy was partially evacuated previously over 'concerns that the embassy could become a target for Iranian-aligned militias in Iraq'.
'Clearly, there is some concern that the discussions with the Iranians aren't going well. Or, it could be that this is all designed to put pressure on Iranians. Because, you will remember, that Donald Trump said that if they couldn't get some sort of deal, then … there could be some sort of military action against the Iranians.'
As reports of US embassy staff and dependants departing the Middle East region emerged, Iran's mission to the United Nations posted on social media that 'Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapon, and US militarism only fuels instability'.
'Threats of 'overwhelming force' won't change the facts,' the Iranian mission said.
'Diplomacy – not militarism – is the only path forward,' it added.Separately, Iranian Defence Minister General Aziz Nasirzadeh told reporters earlier that he hoped talks with the US would be successful, though Tehran stood ready to respond to any aggression.
'If conflict is imposed on us, the opponent's casualties will certainly be more than ours, and in that case, America must leave the region, because all its bases are within our reach,' he said.
'We have access to them, and we will target all of them in the host countries without hesitation.'
The next round of talks – the sixth – between the US and Iran on limits to Tehran's nuclear programme in exchange for lifting sanctions on the country have been tentatively scheduled for this weekend in Oman, according to reports, and Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, is still scheduled to attend.