The United States has decided to reduce its non-essential personnel in the Middle East due to the potential for regional unrest, the State Department and the US military said.
The State Department said it had ordered the departure of all non-essential personnel from the US Embassy in Baghdad after a final review of the situation and the intention to "keep Americans safe, both at home and abroad."
The embassy staff in the Iraqi capital has already been reduced, so the order will not affect a large number of people.
The State Department, however, has also approved the departure of non-essential personnel and family members from missions in Bahrain and Kuwait, giving them the option to choose whether to leave those countries.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also approved the voluntary departure of those supported by the military from locations across the Middle East region, US Central Command said, adding that it was monitoring developments in the Middle East.
The White House confirmed the moves and said they were a result of recent assessments of the situation by the State Department.
Tensions in the region have been rising these days after negotiations between the US and Iran on the increasingly accelerated development of Tehran's nuclear program appeared to have hit a wall.
The sixth round of those talks is tentatively scheduled for next weekend in Oman, two U.S. officials told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, noting that it is increasingly unlikely that the talks will actually happen.
US President Donald Trump has previously threatened Iran with force if negotiations fail, and now has a less than optimistic view of reaching an agreement.
Iran insists that its nuclear program is not intended to create an atomic bomb but is for peaceful purposes, but with uranium enrichment it has come one step closer to being able to produce such a weapon if it so desires.
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