Kochi: The US will evacuate non-essential US embassy staff and their dependents from Iraq due to high security risks due to Iran and Israel strife, the BBC said.
Israel was getting ready to launch an operation into Iran which could lead to Iran retaliating on certain US sites in Iraq where around 2,500 US troops are stationed.
US’ talks over Iran’s nuclear programme appear to have stalled in recent days.
US President Donald Trump told reporters at the Kennedy Center that Americans were advised to leave the region “because it could be a dangerous place, and we’ll see what happens”.
Trump said the US did not want Iran to develop a nuclear weapon. The President is hoping to strike a deal to stop Tehran developing a nuclear weapon.
Trump had held parleys with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a diplomatic approach.
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) began a meeting in Vienna on Monday to discuss Iran’s nuclear programme and other issues.
The IAEA released a report criticising Iran for lack of cooperation while Iran claimedIAEA report as unbalanced. Iran Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said his country would retaliate against US bases in the region if Trump ordered military strikes against Tehran.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has given nod to voluntary departure of families of American military personnel from places in the Middle East.
Iran claims that its uranium enrichment programme was not to build an atomic bomb but for civilian energy generation.
Iran hit the US forces in Iraq in 2020 in retaliation to the US strike that killed top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, the reports said.
US-Iran N-talks hit road block
