‘A dangerous place’: US to pull out personnel from Middle East amid tensions with Iran

The US Embassy in Baghdad on Thursday issued a warning to American citizens, advising them not to travel to Iraq. The US State Department has also updated its travel advisory on Wednesday, stating “On June 11, the Department of State ordered the departure of non-emergency US government personnel due to heightened regional tensions.”

When asked about the partial evacuations of non-essential staff in the US embassy of Baghdad, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said “The State Department regularly reviews American personnel abroad and this decision was made as a result of a recent review,” Reuters reported.

“They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place, and we’ll see what happens. We’ve given notice to move out,” Trump told reporters. When asked if anything could be done to lower the security risk in the Middle East, Trump responded saying “They can’t have a nuclear weapon. Very simple, they can’t have a nuclear weapon,” referring to Iran.

The departure of US military dependents from the region should not be viewed as a threat, a senior Iranian security official told Iran’s Press TV on Thursday, addressing concerns that the evacuation of non-essential personnel might signal a potential escalation in the region.

President Trump is reportedly aware about the matter, a White House official confirmed. Adding to Iraq, a US official said that the State Department has also authorized voluntary departures from Bahrain and Kuwait.

Though the US embassy in Kuwait, in a statement on Wednesday said it “has not changed its staffing posture and remains fully operational.” The partial evacuation in Baghdad comes at a time when the Middle East region is already ravaged by the Israel-Gaza war over the last 18 months and Washington is unable to reach a nuclear deal with Iran.

Detailing about Iran’s nuclear programme, President Trump told a podcast on Wednesday that he was growing less confident that a deal would be signed with Tehran. The United States wants Iran to immediately cease its uranium enriching programme, which could eventually help the Islamic country in manufacturing nuclear weapons. In exchange, the US is ready to lift economic sanctions imposed on Tehran.

However, the Republican leader’s effort to strike a nuclear deal with Iran appears to be deadlocked and the US intelligence agencies have reportedly indicated that Benjamin Netanyahu led Israel has been preparing to hit Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran if their talks over a nuclear deal fails. Iranian Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said on Wednesday that if Iran gets hit by strikes, it would retaliate and destroy US bases in the region.