US pulling some embassy staff from Middle East as Iran tensions rise
The US ordered some staff to depart the embassy in Baghdad and allowed military service members' families to leave the Middle East, officials said, after Iran threatened to attack US bases if talks over its nuclear programme fall through.
The decision to reduce staffing in Iraq was 'based on our latest analysis', according to the US State Department. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth authorised family members of US military personnel stationed across the region to leave, according to a Pentagon statement.
Neither statement cited a specific threat but the New York Post published an interview in which US President Donald Trump said he was growing less confident about the prospects for negotiations to impose new limits on Iran's nuclear programme.
Iran, meanwhile, warned of retaliation against US military assets in the Middle East if the talks collapse and the Islamic Republic is attacked.
'I sincerely hope it won't come to that and that the talks reach a resolution,' Iran's Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said in televised remarks.
'But if they don't, and conflict is imposed on us, the other side will undoubtedly suffer greater losses. We will target all US bases in host countries without hesitation.'
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