U.S. Evacuates Embassy Staff From Middle East Amid Israel-Iran Tensions

Fears of an Israeli strike on Iran were mounting amid rising tensions in the Middle East that prompted the U.S. to move some of its nonmilitary personnel out of the region.

Asked on Thursday about reports of a possible Israeli strike on Iran, President Donald Trump told reporters, “I don’t want to say it’s imminent, but it looks like something that could well happen.”

The growing concerns of a strike, which threaten to spark a regional conflict, came amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran as the countries’ negotiations over a potential nuclear deal appear to have stalled. In a podcast released on Wednesday, Trump said that he was growing “less confident” about the possibility of reaching an agreement with Iran that would limit the country’s ability to develop nuclear weapons.

On Thursday, however, Trump described a deal with Iran as being “fairly close” and warned that an Israeli strike on the country could “blow it.”

“As long as I think there will be an agreement, I don’t want them going in,” he told reporters.

Trump has previously threatened to “bomb” Iran if negotiations over its nuclear program fail, and Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said Wednesday that Iran would strike U.S. military bases in the region if talks fail and conflict with the U.S. escalates. Last month, Israel also reportedly began preparing potential strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Daniel Shapiro, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel during the Obama Administration and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East during the Biden Administration, told the Jerusalem Post on Wednesday that “the Trump Administration appears to be taking some preparations for potential military action, possibly by Israel, against Iran. It does not necessarily mean anything is imminent, as it takes time to move U.S. personnel from their posts. There is also still time for progress in upcoming nuclear talks. But it shows it is possible, and the United States wants to reduce risk. That can be useful leverage in the talks.”

The U.S. was planning to remove nonessential embassy staff from Iraq, as well as some of its other nonmilitary personnel in the region, amid the rising tensions, Trump said Wednesday evening.

“They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place, and we’ll see what happens,” the President told reporters at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. “We’ve given notice to move out.”

In a statement, the State Department said: “President Trump is committed to keeping Americans safe, both at home and abroad. In keeping with that commitment, we are constantly assessing the appropriate personnel posture at all our embassies. Based on our latest analysis, we decided to reduce our Mission in Iraq.” U.S. staffers who are deemed nonessential will be removed from the embassy in Baghdad, the State Department told the Associated Press. 

American and Iraqi sources confirmed the news to Reuters, but the sources didn’t share with the news outlet what security risks sparked the move or how many officials would be removed from the country. 

Citing an unnamed government official, state-run Iraqi News Agency reported that the evacuations of nonessential U.S. government employees from Baghdad were “procedures related to the U.S. diplomatic presence in a number of Middle Eastern countries and do not only concern Iraq.” The Iraqi official also said that from their side, they have “not recorded any security indicator that requires this evacuation.”

The AP reported that the State Department was authorizing nonessential staffers and their families to depart Bahrain and Kuwait as well.

A statement from the U.S. Central Command—which oversees U.S. military activity in the Middle East—said that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the “voluntary departure” of military dependents across the region as the command is “monitoring the developing tension” and working with the State Department and allies to “maintain a constant state of readiness.” 

“The safety and security of our service members and their families remains our highest priority,” the statement said. 

No troops in the Middle East were ordered to evacuate, U.S. defense officials told Fox News.

The Washington Post reported that all the departures from Iraq came after all embassies in striking distance of Iran, including some in Europe and North Africa, were ordered to convene emergency action committees and send cables back to Washington about the measures they are taking to mitigate risks.

When asked what could dial down tension in the region, Trump said Wednesday at the Kennedy Center: “They can’t have a nuclear weapon, we’re not going to allow that,” in apparent reference to Iran.

Trump on Thursday told reporters that he “would love to avoid a conflict,” but that Iran is “going to have to be willing to give us some things that they’re not willing to give us right now.”

CBS reported Wednesday that U.S. officials learned Israel was “fully ready” to launch an operation in Iran and that Iran could respond with attacks on U.S. sites in Iraq. NBC reported that Israel was considering military action against Iran and that it would be without U.S. support.

A U.K. maritime trade agency issued a public advisory on Wednesday, cautioning commercial vessels in the area. The agency said that it had “been made aware of increased tensions within the region which could lead to an escalation of military activity having a direct impact on mariners.”