President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Getty image
On Wednesday, unnamed officials informed the Washington Post that the United States began withdrawing non-essential staff from its embassies and military bases across the Middle East after renewed nuclear threats from Iran.
The evacuations follow growing U.S. frustration over a stalled diplomatic effort to curb Iran’s unlimited nuclear program. Negotiations between Washington and Tehran had previously seen five rounds of talks aimed at limiting Iran’s uranium enrichment in exchange for lifting U.S.-imposed economic sanctions. However, U.S. officials now say the prospect of a sixth round appears increasingly unlikely.
According to reports, the impasse stems from Iran’s refusal to scale back enrichment activities without full sanctions relief, while U.S. negotiators remain unwilling to lift key restrictions without concrete limits on Iran’s nuclear development.
On the other hand, Israel has long opposed Iran’s nuclear program and has even made repeated threats of preemptive strikes should diplomacy fail. Newsweek reports that former President Donald Trump advised Israeli leaders not to attack Iran during the nuclear negotiations. Yet despite this, on Tuesday, the Israeli Navy launched a strike on Yemen’s Al-Hodeidah port, targeting Ansar Allah — an Iran-aligned resistance group.
This activated the military warfare as a spokesperson for Ansar Allah told Newsweek that the group was already on high alert as they considered themselves “already in a state of war with the Zionist enemy” due to Israeli actions in Gaza and Yemen. They declared war and stated their readiness, adding that they are also prepared for any retaliation or escalation from America.
To stop America’s involvement, Iranian Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh issued a stark warning: “Some officials on the other side threaten conflict if negotiations don’t come to fruition,” Nasirzadeh said. “If a conflict is imposed on us … all U.S. bases are within our reach and we will boldly target them in host countries.”.
Following these threats and the growing risk of regional war, the U.S. State Department began evacuating its personnel from key locations. Former President Donald Trump has since commented on the situation, saying:
“They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place, and we’ll see what happens, but … we’ve given notice to move out,” He further referenced Iran, saying, “They can’t have a nuclear weapon, very simple. We’re not going to allow that.”
According to multiple reports, Washington has been informed that Israel is “fully prepared” to strike Iran, and U.S. officials now expect Tehran to respond by targeting “specific American sites in neighbouring Iraq.
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