U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized the voluntary evacuation of military dependents from locations across the Middle East, a U.S. defense official said Wednesday.
He said that the safety and security of service members and their families remain the highest priority. Hegseth said the U.S. and Central Command (CENTCOM) are closely monitoring tensions in the region and are in close coordination with the State Department and regional allies.
The United States has a military presence across the major oil-producing region, with bases in Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
The U.S. State Department has confirmed the evacuation of diplomatic staff from its embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. However, Iraq's state news agency cited a government source as saying Baghdad had not recorded any security indication that called for an evacuation.
Meanwhile, a U.S. official said the State Department had authorized voluntary departures from Bahrain and Kuwait.
The U.S. embassy in Kuwait said in a statement on Wednesday that it had "not changed its staffing posture and remains fully operational."
The State Department updated its worldwide travel advisory on Wednesday evening to reflect the latest U.S. posture.
“On June 11, the Department of State ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel due to heightened regional tensions,” the advisory said.
The decision by the U.S. to evacuate some personnel comes at a volatile moment in the region. Trump's efforts to reach a nuclear deal with Iran appear to be deadlocked and U.S. intelligence indicates that Israel has been making preparations for a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the Middle East "could be a dangerous place," adding that the United States would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.
The move follows the warning from Iran’s Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh who said that U.S. military bases in the region would be targeted if a conflict breaks out between Tehran and Washington over Iran’s nuclear program.
Although nuclear talks continue through Oman, disagreements over Iran’s uranium enrichment program persist.
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