Latest news with #USEmbassyEvacuation
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
US authorizes partial evacuation of Middle East embassies amid Iran tensions
The US has begun evacuating non-essential personnel and family members from its embassies and military bases in the Middle East amid escalating tensions with Iran. The move follows President Donald Trump's accusation that Tehran is 'slow-walking' negotiations. 'Based on our latest analysis, we decided to reduce the footprint of our Mission in Iraq,' the State Department said in an emailed statement to the media on Wednesday. Reuters cited a US official as saying that voluntary departures had also been authorized at the embassies in Kuwait and Bahrain. The Pentagon has likewise approved the departure of family members from military installations in the region. 'CENTCOM is working in close coordination with our Department of State counterparts, as well as our allies and partners in the region, to maintain a constant state of readiness to support any number of missions around the world at any time,' a defense official told reporters. According to the Washington Post, American intelligence officials are concerned that Israel may strike Iranian nuclear facilities without US consent. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office dismissed reports last month that Israel was discussing potential strikes with Trump as 'fake news.'In an interview with the New York Post aired on Wednesday, Trump said he was 'less confident' about reaching a deal with Iran, after five rounds of negotiations mediated by Oman failed to produce a breakthrough. The president has previously said he wants to completely dismantle Iran's nuclear program – something Tehran has firmly rejected. 'Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapon, and US militarism only fuels instability,' the Iranian mission to the UN said in a statement on X. Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh warned that Iran would 'target all US bases across the region without hesitation' if attacked. Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 UN-backed nuclear agreement during his first term, accusing Iran of secretly violating its terms. Tehran has denied the allegations but has since scaled back its commitments and expanded its stockpile of enriched uranium.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
US to partially evacuate embassy in Iraq over security threats
Non-essential American embassy staff and their dependents in Baghdad are evacuating from Iraq due to heightened security risks, US government sources said on did not say exactly what prompted the removal, however in recent days talks over Iran's nuclear programme appear to have stalled.A US state department official told the BBC: "We are constantly assessing the appropriate personnel posture at all our embassies. "Based on our latest analysis, we decided to reduce the footprint of our mission in Iraq." President Donald Trump told a podcast on Wednesday that he was growing less confident that a deal can be reached over Iran's nuclear US wants Iran to stop enriching uranium, which can be used to create a nuclear bomb, in exchange for easing economic Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said his country would retaliate against American bases in the region if talks fail and the US president orders military strikes against reported that US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also approved the voluntary departure of families of US military personnel from countries across the Middle East including Kuwait and on Wednesday, the UK's Maritime Trade Operations organisation issued a warning saying that increased military tensions in the Middle East could affect price of oil initially increased more than 4% on the news, in anticipation of regional insecurity potentially leading to supply 2,500 American troops are based in Iraq, according to the US defence reporting from Tom Bateman in Washington
