Trump: Some US staff being pulled out of Middle East amid Iran nuclear tensions
The State Department said it had "ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel due to heightened regional tensions.”
- The move to reduce staff at some U.S. installations in the Middle East comes at a volatile time as President Trump pushes Iran to accept a nuclear deal.
- Trump has repeatedly threatened to bomb Iran if it doesn't give up its nuclear program.
- Iran has promised to retaliate for any U.S. attack.
BAGHDAD − President Donald Trump said U.S. personnel were being moved out of the Middle East because "it could be a dangerous place," adding the United States would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.
The State Department updated its worldwide travel advisory on Wednesday evening to reflect the latest U.S. posture. “On June 11, the Department of State ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel due to heightened regional tensions,” the advisory said.
The decision by the U.S. to evacuate some personnel comes at a volatile moment in the region. Trump's efforts to reach a nuclear deal with Iran appear to be deadlocked and U.S. intelligence indicates that Israel has been making preparations for a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities.
"They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place, and we'll see what happens," Trump told reporters. "We've given notice to move out."
Asked whether anything can be done to lower the temperature in the region, Trump said: "They can't have a nuclear weapon. Very simple, they can't have a nuclear weapon."
Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran if stuttering talks over its nuclear programme fail and in an interview released earlier June 11 said he was growing less confident Tehran would agree to stop enriching uranium, a key American demand.
Iranian Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said that if Iran was subjected to strikes it would retaliate by hitting U.S. bases in the region.
The U.S. embassy in Kuwait said in a statement on Wednesday that it had "not changed its staffing posture and remains fully operational."
Military presence
The United States has a military presence across the major oil-producing region, with bases in Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations across the Middle East, a U.S. official said. Another U.S. official said that was mostly relevant to family members located in Bahrain - where the bulk of them are based.
"The State Department is set to have an ordered departure for (the) U.S. embassy in Baghdad. The intent is to do it through commercial means, but the U.S. military is standing by if help is requested," a third U.S. official said.
Iran tensions
Britain's maritime agency warned on June 11 that increased tensions in the Middle East may lead to an escalation in military activity that could impact shipping in critical waterways.
Britain's Foreign Office said it was monitoring the situation and would keep its embassy in Iraq under constant review following the U.S. moves.
Iraq, a rare regional partner of both the United States and its arch regional foe Iran, hosts 2,500 U.S. troops although Tehran-backed armed factions are linked to its security forces.
Tensions inside Iraq have heightened since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, with Iran-aligned armed groups in the country repeatedly attacking U.S. troops, though attacks have subsided since last year.
Israel and Iran also twice exchanged fire last year - the first ever such direct attacks between the region's most entrenched enemies - with missiles and war drones hurtling across Iraqi airspace.
Top U.S. regional ally Israel has also struck Iran-linked targets across the region, including Iraqi armed groups operating both inside Iraq and in neighbouring Syria.
In recent months the United States has deployed more military assets in the Middle East, including B-2 bombers, which have since been replaced, and extending the deployment of a second aircraft carrier, which has since departed.
The sixth round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States will be held June 15 in Muscat, the Omani foreign minister said. Iran is expected to hand over a counter proposal after rejecting an offer by Washington.
Iran's U.N. mission on Wednesday posted on X: "Threats of 'overwhelming force' won't change facts: Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapon and U.S. militarism only fuels instability."
The statement appeared to be a response to an earlier comment by U.S. Army General Michael "Erik" Kurilla, the head of U.S. Central Command, that he had provided the president with "a wide range of options" to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran.
Kurilla postponed testimony he was due to deliver before U.S. lawmakers on June 12.