US embassy in Iraq preparing for ordered evacuation due to ‘heightened security risks’, sources say

BAGHDAD – The U.S. embassy in Iraq is preparing for an ordered evacuation due to heightened security risks in the region, an Iraqi security official and a U.S. source said on Wednesday.

Iran’s Minister of Defense Aziz Nasirzadeh said earlier in the day that Tehran will strike U.S. bases in the region if nuclear talks and conflict arise with Washington.

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“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,” another U.S. official said.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he was less confident that Iran will agree to stop uranium enrichment in a nuclear deal with Washington, according to an interview released on Wednesday.

Another U.S. official said that there was no change in operations at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East and that no evacuation order had been issued for employees or families linked to the U.S. Embassy in Qatar, which was operating as usual.

He has repeatedly threatened Iran with bombing if it does not reach a new nuclear deal. REUTERS

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The U.S. embassy in Iraq is preparing for a potential evacuation due to increased security risks in the region, according to sources from both the U.S. and Iraq on Wednesday.

Following statements from Iran’s Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh about potentially targeting U.S. bases should nuclear talks with Washington falter, the situation in the region remains tense. The U.S. State Department has not yet issued any official statement.

Plans are underway for an organized departure from the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, ideally through commercial channels, while the U.S. military remains on standby. Additionally, President Trump expressed skepticism about Iran ceasing uranium enrichment. Meanwhile, operations continue as normal without evacuation orders at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, a key U.S. military site in the Middle East.

BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON, June 11 (Reuters) – The United States is preparing to evacuate its Iraqi embassy due to heightened security risks in the region, three U.S. and two Iraqi sources said on Wednesday while a U.S. official said military dependents could also leave Bahrain.

The sources did not specify which security risks had prompted the decision to evacuate and the State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran if stuttering talks over its nuclear programme fail and 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 said Iran would hit U.S. bases if the nuclear talks failed, leading to war.

“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.

An Iraqi foreign ministry official said a “partial evacuation” of U.S. embassy staff had been confirmed due to what the official termed “potential security concerns related to possible regional tensions”.

U.S. military dependents in Bahrain can temporarily depart due to the heightened regional tensions, a U.S. official told Reuters.

Another U.S. official said that there was no change in operations at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East and that no evacuation order had been issued for employees or families linked to the U.S. embassy in Qatar, which was operating as usual.

Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed, Timour Azhari, Daphne Psaledakis and Idrees Ali, writing by Jaidaa Taha and Yomna Ehab; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Deepa Babington

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The U.S. embassy in Iraq is preparing for an ordered evacuation due to heightened security risks in the region, an Iraqi security official and a U.S. source said on Wednesday.

Iran’s Minister of Defense Aziz Nasirzadeh said earlier in the day that Tehran will strike U.S. bases in the region if nuclear talks and conflict arise with Washington.

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“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,” another U.S. official said.

Reuters

Argentine President Javier Milei said Wednesday his country would move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, the status of which is one of the most delicate issues in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

“I am proud to announce before you that in 2026 we will make effective the move of our embassy to the city of west Jerusalem,” Milei said in a speech in the Israeli parliament during an official state visit.

Argentina’s embassy is currently located near the coastal city of Tel Aviv.