US prepares for partial evacuation of embassies in Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq
The United States Department of State on Wednesday was preparing to order nonessential embassy personnel and family members to leave Bahrain and Kuwait, the Associated Press reported.
The US embassy in Iraq is also preparing for an evacuation, an Iraqi security official and a US source told Reuters on Wednesday.
Iran's Minister of Defence Aziz Nasirzadeh said earlier in the day that Tehran will strike US bases in the region if nuclear talks fail and conflict arises with Washington.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"The State Department is set to have an ordered departure for (the) US embassy in Baghdad. The intent is to do it through commercial means, but the US military is standing by if help is requested," another US official said.
Another US official said that there was no change in operations at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest US military base in the Middle East and that no evacuation order had been issued for employees or families linked to the US Embassy in Qatar, which was operating as usual.
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