U.S. Begins To Evacuate Iraq Embassy After Iranian Minister Threatens Military Bases

Major developments began unfolding in the Middle East on Wednesday, following the announcement that the United States is reducing staff at its missions in Baghdad and Erbil and reportedly permitting dependents to leave other countries in the region, such as Bahrain and Kuwait.

The move comes after Iran’s Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh threatened to strike American bases if nuclear negotiations fail and conflict arises. 

“All U.S. bases are within our reach and we will boldly target them in host countries,” Nasirzadeh said during a press briefing.

The comment comes ahead of the sixth round of nuclear talks between the Trump administration and Iran. 

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A State Department official confirmed to The Daily Wire that it is reducing its “footprint” at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

“President Trump is committed to keeping Americans safe, both at home and abroad,” the official said. “In keeping with that commitment, we are constantly assessing the appropriate personnel posture at all our embassies. Based on our latest analysis, we decided to reduce the footprint of our Mission in Iraq.”

Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the evacuation of dependents amid rising tensions with Iran.

“The safety and security of our service members and their families remains our highest priority and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is monitoring the developing tension in the Middle East,” a defense official reportedly said. “Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations across the CENTCOM AOR.”

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The head of U.S. Central Command General Kurilla postponed his Thursday testimony to lawmakers set due to the tensions in the Middle East, Reuters national security correspondent Idrees Ali reported.

Trump has expressed his preference to resolve Iran’s nuclear challenges with diplomacy but has threatened military force if a deal cannot be made. When announcing the talks earlier in April, Trump said Iran could “be in great danger” if diplomacy failed.

“I think if the talks aren’t successful with Iran, I think Iran is going to be in great danger,” Trump said. “It’s not a complicated formula. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, that’s all there is.”

Last month, during an interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo, Trump said Iran can be handled militarily or through negotiating a deal.

“I would rather negotiate a deal,” he added. “I’m not sure that everybody agrees with me, but we can make a deal that would be just as good as if you won militarily. But the time is happening now. The time is coming up. Something’s going to happen one way or the other.”

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Hegseth previously said Trump is “dead serious” about preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and is open to options such as using the military.

“He wants it done peacefully, and that’s why he’s going straight to these talks,” Hegseth said. “But he’s also dead serious that if we can’t figure this out at the negotiating table, then there are other options – to include my department – to ensure that Iran never has a nuclear bomb.”