US to pull some personnel from the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran
Iraq, a rare regional partner of both the United States and its arch regional foe Iran, hosts 2,500 US troops although Tehran-backed armed factions are linked to its security forces.
Tensions inside Iraq have heightened since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, with Iran-aligned armed groups in the country repeatedly attacking US troops, though attacks have subsided since last year.
Israel and Iran also twice exchanged fire last year - the first ever such direct attacks between the region's most entrenched enemies - with missiles and war drones hurtling across Iraqi airspace.
Top US regional ally Israel has also struck Iran-linked targets across the region, including Iraqi armed groups operating both inside Iraq and in neighbouring Syria.
In recent months the United States has deployed more military assets in the Middle East, including B-2 bombers, which have since been replaced, and extending the deployment of a second aircraft carrier, which has since departed.
The next round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States is due in the coming days with Iran expected to hand over a counter proposal after rejecting an offer by Washington.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that a military threat had always been part of the United States' negotiation tactics with Iran.
'Any military action against Iran, whether by the US or Israel, will have serious consequences,' the official warned.
Iran's UN mission on Wednesday posted on X: "Threats of 'overwhelming force' won't change facts: Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapon and US militarism only fuels instability."
The statement appeared to be a response to an earlier comment by US Army General Michael "Erik" Kurilla, the head of US Central Command, that he had provided the president with "a wide range of options" to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran.
Kurilla postponed testimony he was due to deliver before US lawmakers on Thursday because of tensions in the Middle East, two other US officials said.
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