‘…dangerous place': Donald Trump as US to pull some personnel from Middle East amid tensions with Iran
With nuclear deal negotiations between the US and Iran at a standstill, Washington has opted to pull some of its personnel from the Middle East. President Donald Trump cited rising tensions, calling the region a potentially dangerous place.
'They (US personnel) are being moved out (of some countries of the Middle East) because it could be a dangerous place, and we will see what happens...We have given notice to move out,' Donald Trump told the media when asked about the evacuation.
On being asked whether anything can be done to lower the temperature in the region, Trump replied, 'They can't have a nuclear weapon. Very simple. They can't have a nuclear weapon. We're not going to allow that.' He was reportedly referring to Iran.
This confirmation by President Trump comes right after Reuters reported on Wednesday that the US is preparing for a partial evacuation of its embassy in Iraq and is also allowing other military dependents to leave locations in the middle-east due to enhanced security risks, citing sources. However, the sources did not say what the security risks were.
These evacuations also come at a time when US intelligence has hinted that Israel, which is in a war with Gaza right now, is preparing to hit the nuclear facilities in Iran, Reuters reported.
A US senator from Arkansas Tom Cotton also claimed on Thursday that defence secretary Pete Hegseth had confirmed that Iran was working towards building a nuclear weapon amid a stalled nuclear deal between the countries.
Also read: Pete Hegseth confirmed Iran working towards nuclear weapon, claims US senator
'Today @SecDef confirmed that Iran's terrorist regime is actively working towards a nuclear weapon. For the sake of our national security, the security of our allies, and millions of civilians in the region this cannot be allowed to happen,' he said in a post on X.
Trump, who has also repeatedly maintained that he does not want Iran to have a nuclear weapon, told the New York Post in an interview released on Wednesday that he is growing 'less confident' about Iran shutting down its nuclear program and stopping uranium enrichment.
'I don't know, I did think so, and I'm getting more and more — less confident about it. They seem to be delaying, and I think that's a shame, but I'm less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago. Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made,' he told the NYP.
Trump also indicated that the US might use force if Iran doesn't agree on the nuclear deal.
However, Iranian Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh also said on Wednesday that if their country was struck, it would retaliate by hitting American bases in the region, the Reuters report said.
With inputs from Reuters
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