US Withdraws Embassy Personnel from Iraq as Tensions Escalate

The United States is withdrawing non-emergency personnel from its embassies in Iraq and other parts of the Middle East. This is happening as tensions with Iran continue to escalate and nuclear negotiations continue to break down.

The State Department said Wednesday it ordered all non-essential workers and their families to leave the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. They also told staff in Bahrain and Kuwait they could leave if they wanted to.

Officials say they are doing this to keep Americans safe. The embassy in Baghdad was already running with fewer people than normal.

Iran Threatens US Military Bases

Iran’s defense minister poured fuel on the fire by warning American military bases in the region. Aziz Nasirzadeh said Iran would strike “all US bases” if there is a fight. “All its bases are within reach, we have access to them, and without hesitation, we will hit all of them,” he warned. But he also claimed to hope negotiations would succeed.

The US has numerous military bases throughout the Middle East. Iran’s declaration that it is able to reach them all is an enormous escalation of threats between the two nations.

Nuclear Talks Aren’t Going Well

President Trump once sounded optimistic regarding making a deal with Iran on their nuclear program. However, now he declares that he is “less confident” it will occur. Trump, in a podcast interview, stated Iran appears to be stalling the negotiations. “I don’t know. I did think so, and I’m getting less and less confident about it,” he stated.

The central issue is Iran’s uranium enrichment. Iran maintains it’s their prerogative to enrich uranium. America deems it a “red line” that must not be crossed. A US special envoy will sit down with Iran’s foreign minister in Oman this Sunday to attempt to iron things out. But the two sides are far apart, though. 

Shipping May Be Disrupted

Britain cautioned that ships passing through key Middle Eastern shipping lanes should be particularly vigilant. The Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and Straits of Hormuz all border Iran.

If war erupts, it would damage shipping in those regions. A lot of oil and merchandise pass through those waters daily.

Trump explained that he doesn’t wish for war with Iran, but won’t allow them to have nuclear capability. “It would be nicer to do it without warfare, without people dying,” he said.

The area has already suffered through 18 months of war in Gaza. Now, everyone is fearing things could get a lot worse if the US and Iran begin fighting directly.

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