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The United States is preparing to evacuate personnel from its embassy in Iraq due to heightened security risks in the region, according to three U.S. and two Iraqi sources speaking to Reuters on Wednesday. A U.S. official also said military dependents could be temporarily relocated from Bahrain.
The sources did not specify the nature of the threats that triggered the decision, and the U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Reuters reported.
Meanwhile, US official confirmed Wednesday evacuation of diplomatic staff from Iraq after Iran threats.
"President Trump is committed to keeping Americans safe, both at home and abroad. In keeping with that commitment, we are constantly assessing the appropriate personnel posture at all our embassies," the official told Turkish news agency Anadolu in a statement. "Based on our latest analysis, we decided to reduce our Mission in Iraq."
Earlier on Wednesday, Iran’s defense minister threatened to target U.S. bases in the region if conflict breaks out between the two countries over Tehran’s nuclear program.
“If war is imposed on Iran, the US would undoubtedly suffer more losses than we do,” Brig. Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh told reporters on the sidelines of a Cabinet meeting in Tehran.
Additionally, U.S. media outlet Axios cited anonymous Israeli officials as saying that the Israeli military "has been on extremely high alert in recent days for possible escalation with Iran."
However, the Iraqi government said no security developments have been identified that would justify the U.S. evacuation. Speaking to Iraq's official news agency INA, an Iraqi government source—who requested anonymity—said the evacuation and other U.S. security measures are part of broader regional precautions and not specific to Iraq.
“There is a positive security situation in Iraq. All Arab and foreign diplomatic missions working in Iraq enjoy a high level of security, free communication and effective working conditions,” the source said, adding that Iraqi authorities have not recorded any incident that would require such a decision.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned of military action against Iran if ongoing negotiations over its nuclear program collapse. On Wednesday, he said he was increasingly doubtful that Tehran would agree to halt uranium enrichment — a central U.S. demand.
Speaking to the New York Post, Trump expressed skepticism about Iran’s intentions in the talks, which are set to resume June 15 in Oman.
"Something happened to them. I don't know," Trump said, referring to what he described as Iran's decreasing enthusiasm for diplomacy. "I'm less confident than I was a few months ago," he added, stressing that Iran would not be permitted to acquire nuclear weapons. "It would be nicer to do it without war, without people dying."
Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Naserzadeh responded to Trump’s comments by warning that U.S. forces would suffer greater losses than Iran in any potential conflict.
"I hope the negotiations will be successful, but if they fail and conflict is imposed on us, the other side's losses will definitely be more than ours," Naserzadeh said following a cabinet meeting in Tehran.
He added that all U.S. bases in the region are within range of Iranian missiles. "If this happens, the U.S. must leave the region because we will target all American bases in the region without hesitation," he said.
An Iraqi Foreign Ministry official confirmed that a "partial evacuation" of U.S. embassy staff had been initiated, citing "potential security concerns related to possible regional tensions."
A U.S. official told Reuters that dependents of U.S. military personnel stationed in Bahrain would be allowed to depart temporarily due to regional instability. However, another U.S. official said there was no change in operations at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar — the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East — and no evacuation order had been issued for embassy staff or their families in Qatar.
Despite the escalating rhetoric, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed optimism on the social media platform X, suggesting that a nuclear agreement with the U.S. was still within reach.
"President Trump began his term by saying Iran should not have nuclear weapons. This actually aligns with our own doctrine and could be the main basis for an agreement," Araghchi wrote..
The nuclear talks, which have seen five rounds of negotiations in Muscat and Rome, were paused after the U.S. demanded a complete halt to Iran’s uranium enrichment — a position Iran rejected as crossing its "red lines."
Iran is seeking relief from economic sanctions in exchange for limiting its nuclear program in a manner that prevents the development of atomic weapons. The U.S. proposal for full cessation of enrichment activities remains a key sticking point ahead of the June 15 talks in Oman.
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