US to partially evacuate embassy in Iraq as Iran tensions escalate

FE Team | Published: June 13, 2025 00:42:17

Picture show flags of US and Iran --Collected

MUSCAT, June 12 (AFP/BBC): Oman said Thursday it will host a sixth round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran over the weekend amid escalating tensions between the long-time foes.
"I am pleased to confirm the 6th round of Iran US talks will be held in Muscat this Sunday," Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said in a post on X.
Tehran and Washington have held five rounds of talks since April to thrash out a new nuclear deal to replace the 2015 accord that Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.
The announcement by Oman came just hours after President Donald Trump said US personnel were being moved from the potentially "dangerous" Middle East.
Trump also reiterated that he would not allow Iran to have an atomic bomb amid mounting speculation that Israel could strike Iranian nuclear facilities.
IAEA finds Iran failing to
meet nuclear obligations
The global nuclear watchdog has found Iran has failed to meet its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in 20 years.
A resolution passed by the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) carries the threat of an eventual referral to the UN Security Council.
It follows a report from the IAEA last week, which cited a general lack of "co-operation" from Iran and raised concerns over secret activities and undeclared nuclear material in areas which have long been under investigation.
Iran's foreign minister had warned European powers earlier this week that backing the motion would be a mistake and that it would react strongly.
The move could further complicate talks between Iran and the US over a new nuclear agreement.
It could also escalate tensions in the Middle East, a day after the US advised some Americans to leave the region after reports that the Israeli military was ready to launch strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
Iran insists its nuclear activities are entirely peaceful and that it would never seek to develop or acquire nuclear weapons.
Non-essential US embassy staff and their dependants in Baghdad are to be evacuated from Iraq due to heightened security risks, US government sources have said.
Officials did not say exactly what prompted the removal, but have been told Israel was ready to launch an operation into Iran, the BBC's US partner CBS reported.
This was part of the reason some Americans were advised to leave the region, officials said, adding that they anticipated Iran could retaliate on certain US sites in Iraq. US officials have also restricted the movements of staff within Israel itself.
It comes as US talks over Iran's nuclear programme appear to have stalled in recent days.
US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is still planning on holding talks with Iran about its nuclear programme on Sunday, officials told CBS. Witkoff will meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Muscat, Axios reported.
A US state department official told the BBC: "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."
The department later said it was also restricting US government staff from travelling within Israel outside the areas of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Be'er Sheva - due to what it called "increased regional tensions".
Speaking at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC on Wednesday evening, US President Donald Trump told reporters Americans had been advised to leave the region "because it could be a dangerous place, and we'll see what happens".
Trump also reiterated that the US did not want Iran to develop a nuclear weapon. "We're not going to allow that," he said. The president has hoped to strike a deal to stop Tehran developing a nuclear weapon.
Earlier this week, he held a 40-minute phone call, which was said to be "tense", with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long argued for a military rather than diplomatic approach.
On Monday, the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) board of governors began a meeting in Vienna to discuss Iran's nuclear programme and other issues.
It comes after the IAEA released a report criticising the "less than satisfactory" co-operation from Tehran, particularly in explaining past cases of nuclear material found at undeclared sites.
Iran described the IAEA report as unbalanced, saying that it relied on "forged documents" provided by Israel.