U.S. preparing to partially evacuate Iraq embassy over regional security risks
POLITICS
Partial Evacuation Amid Heightened Security Concerns
The United States is preparing a partial evacuation of its Iraqi embassy and will allow military dependents to leave locations around the Middle East due to heightened security risks in the region, U.S. and Iraqi sources said on Wednesday. The four U.S. and two Iraqi sources did not specify which security risks had prompted the decision and reports of the potential evacuation pushed up oil prices by more than 4%. “The State Department regularly reviews American personnel abroad and this decision was made as a result of a recent review,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told Reuters when asked about reports of the partial evacuations, without giving further details. A White House official said U.S. President Donald Trump was aware of the move.
Regional Tensions and Military Movements
The partial evacuations come at a moment of heightened tensions in a region already aflame after 18 months of war in Gaza that has raised fears of a wider conflagration pitting the U.S. and Israel against Iran and its allies. Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran if stuttering talks over its nuclear programme fail and in an interview released on Wednesday he said he was growing less confident that Tehran would agree to stop enriching uranium, a key American demand. Iranian Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh also said on Wednesday that if Iran was subjected to strikes it would retaliate by hitting U.S. bases in the region. 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.
Diplomatic Standoff and Future Prospects
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 U.S. official said. Iraq’s state news agency cited a government source as saying Baghdad had not recorded any security indication that called for an evacuation. The next round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States are due in the coming days with Iran expected to hand over a counter proposal after rejecting an offer by Washington. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that a military threat has always been part of the United States’ negotiation tactics with Iran. “Any military action against Iran, whether by the U.S. or Israel, will have serious consequences,” the official warned.