The United States is preparing a partial evacuation of its embassy in Iraq amidst what appears to be plans to attack Iran that could lead the Middle Eastern country to carry out retaliatory strikes across the region.
The US has also authorised the voluntary departure of dependents of US personnel from Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
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This comes after talks between the United States and Iran largely stalled, primarily due to an impasse over uranium enrichment.
The US insisted that Iran halt all uranium enrichment activities, a demand Tehran has outright rejected as unacceptable.
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In a statement issued on Wednesday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had authorised the departure of military dependents in the region and that CENTCOM was “monitoring the developing tension”.
The CENTCOM did not mention what exactly prompted the removal, but the BBC reported that US officials have been told Israel was ready to launch an operation into Iran.
According to the US authorities, orders for all nonessential personnel to depart the US Embassy in Baghdad was based on the country’s commitment to keep its citizens safe, both at home and abroad.
Last month, Israel vowed to launch an attack against Iran if talks with the US failed.
PREMIUM TIMES reports that recent Israeli attacks on Iranian territory led to massive retaliatory attacks on Israel by Iran using drones and ballistic missiles. Iran said then that it was only targeting military facilities in Israel, but the latest announcement by US officials suggests Iran might escalate its reprisals to include American assets in the region.
US President Donald Trump stated that the decision to withdraw staff was made because the region “could be a dangerous place.”
“We’ll see what happens. We’ve given notice to move out, and we’ll see what happens,” he said.
Speaking of Iran, he said, “They can’t have a nuclear weapon, very simple. We’re not going to allow that.”
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However, US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will be meeting with Iran to discuss its nuclear programme on Sunday. Iran has insisted that its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes, although the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has raised recent concerns about increased uranium enrichment.
BBC reported that Mr Witkoff will meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Muscat, Oman.
A US state department official was also quoted saying, “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.”
