June 12, 2025 2:19 PM
US Begins Evacuating Staff from Middle East Amid Escalating Tensions with Iran
The United States has begun evacuating non-essential personnel from its diplomatic missions and military bases in the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran and stalled nuclear negotiations, the State Department and the Department of Defense confirmed on Wednesday. The US Embassy in Baghdad is at the center of the drawdown, with the State Department authorizing the departure of staff not deemed critical to ongoing operations. In parallel, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has permitted t...