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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Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 24 June, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Fans across Uzbekistan gathered in homes, cafes and public viewing areas on Tuesday (24 June) to watch their national team take on Portugal in its second match at the FIFA World Cup, a tournament that has already made history for the Central Asian nation.
From Cristiano Ronaldo’s record-breaking night in Houston to England’s frustrating draw in Boston and Algeria’s comeback win in San Francisco, the FIFA World Cup 2026 delivered another packed day of action.
At least thirteen people have died and sixty-six have been injured following an explosion at Qatar's main liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing hub at Ras Laffan, authorities said on Sunday.
Tehran has agreed to let the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recommence inspections of its nuclear programme, U.S. Vice President JD Vance has said. The U.S. and Iran have settled on a 60-day roadmap aimed at reaching a final deal, according to mediators Qatar and Pakistan.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed on a landmark internet deal that will allow traffic to pass through Azerbaijani networks.It's the latest deal to highlight the ongoing peace process between the two countries.
A Ukrainian strike has damaged a school building in a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, according to local authorities cited by the TASS news agency. No injuries were reported in the incident.
Three students have been killed and at least seven injured after two of their peers opened fire in a high school in the Philippines, police said. A spokesperson for the police said the two suspects, aged 14 and 15, had been arrested and a police pistol confiscated. Bullying is a possible motive.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday his administration was working towards a fair deal with Iran, hours after the Senate voted to direct him to halt military action against Tehran in a rare bipartisan rebuke.
A United Nations enquiry has accused Israeli authorities and security forces of deliberately targeting Palestinian children in Gaza, saying the actions amounted to genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, while also documenting war crimes against children in the occupied West Bank.
U.S. President Donald Trump said that Iran had agreed to nuclear inspections into "infinity, despite Tehran's denials, and that unfrozen Iranian assets would be used to buy humanitarian supplies from the United States.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has announced a loan of up to $25 million to support energy-efficiency upgrades at Tashkent Pipe Plant (TPP), one of Uzbekistan’s leading private steel producers.
For Pakistan, helping create space for dialogue between the U.S. and Iran was never solely about diplomacy. It was about avoiding the economic and security consequences of a wider regional conflict.
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