US to partially evacuate embassy in Iraq over regional security risks
The United States is all set to partially evacuate its embassy in Iraq's capital Baghdad and have asked all its non-essential US embassy staff and their dependents to leave the Middle East location over heightened regional security risks, US and Iraqi sources confirmed the development to Reuters on Wednesday.
However, the report doesn't mention which type of risk was Washington talking about when it reportedly ordered its staff to leave the country but the reports have escalated the prices of oil by more than 4%.
When asked about the partial evacuations of non-essential staff in the US embassy of Baghdad, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said 'The State Department regularly reviews American personnel abroad and this decision was made as a result of a recent review,' Reuters reported.
US President Donald Trump is reportedly aware about the matter, a White House official confirmed. Adding to Iraq, a US official said that the State Department has also authorized voluntary departures from Bahrain and Kuwait.
Though the US embassy in Kuwait, in a statement on Wednesday said it 'has not changed its staffing posture and remains fully operational.' The partial evacuation in Baghdad comes at a time when the Middle East region is already ravaged by the Israel-Gaza war over the last 18 months and Washington is unable to reach a nuclear deal with Iran.
Detailing about Iran's nuclear programme, President Trump told a podcast on Wednesday that he was growing less confident that a deal would be signed with Tehran. The United States wants Iran to immediately cease its uranium enriching programme, which could eventually help the Islamic country in manufacturing nuclear weapons. In exchange, the US is ready to lift economic sanctions imposed on Tehran.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran if their talks over a nuclear deal fails. Iranian Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said on Wednesday that if Iran gets hit by strikes, it would retaliate and destroy US bases in the region.
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