The U.S. and UK are reducing personnel at Qatar’s Al-Udeid air base as President Donald Trump weighs possible action against Iran over its violent crackdown on protesters.
Officials said the partial U.S. withdrawal is a “precautionary measure,” with some UK military personnel also being pulled. Qatar’s government said the steps reflect “current regional tensions.”
Al-Udeid is the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, hosting around 10,000 U.S. personnel and about 100 UK staff. It remains unclear how many will leave.
A UK Ministry of Defence spokesperson declined to comment, citing operational security according to the BBC.
Reuters reports that some personnel had been advised to leave but there was no sign of a mass evacuation.
"All the signals are that a U.S. attack is imminent, but that is also how this administration behaves to keep everyone on their toes. Unpredictability is part of the strategy," a Western military official told Reuters later on Wednesday.
The move follows Trump’s warning that Iran would face “very strong action” if protesters are executed. Rights groups say more than 2,400 demonstrators have been killed in recent unrest.
Iran has warned it would retaliate against any U.S. attack. Senior adviser Ali Shamkhani said Tehran’s response capability had already been demonstrated during past confrontations.
The U.S. mission in Saudi Arabia has also urged staff and citizens to limit non-essential travel to military sites in the region.
At the White House, however, Trump suggested he was adopting a wait-and-see posture toward the crisis.
Trump told reporters that he has been told that killings in the Iranian government's crackdown on the protests were subsiding and that he believes there is currently no plan for large-scale executions.
Asked who told him that the killings had stopped, Trump described them as "very important sources on the other side."
The president did not rule out potential U.S. military action, saying "we are going to watch what the process is" before noting that his administration had received a "very good statement" from Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Wednesday "there is no plan" by Iran to hang people, when asked about the anti-government protests.
"There is no plan for hanging at all," the foreign minister told Fox News in an interview on the "Special Report with Bret Baier" show.
"Hanging is out of the question," Araqchi said.
According to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights Society, hangings are common in Iranian prisons.
The U.N. Security Council is due to meet on Iran on Thursday at the request of the United States.
The protests began in late December over economic hardship and have since evolved into one of the most serious challenges to Iran’s leadership in decades.
A strong 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia's Sulawesi island early Tuesday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS)....
U.S. President Donald Trump said a preliminary agreement to end the war in the Gulf has been signed by the U.S. and Iran, though details have yet to b...
A Chinese-linked hacking group secretly stole data from academic, medical and military research institutions in the U.S. and Canada for more than a ye...
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 16 June, covering the latest developments you need to know....
European leaders will warn U.S. President Donald Trump at Tuesday’s G7 summit that a superficial interim Iran deal risks entrenching Tehran's nuclea...
U.S. President Donald Trump said a preliminary agreement to end the war in the Gulf has been signed by the U.S. and Iran, though details have yet to be made public and both countries said a permanent truce is yet to be negotiated.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 16 June, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Iran has said that reaching an agreement with the U.S. to end the war does not mean Tehran will overlook what it describes as war crimes committed against Iranians by Israel and the United States.
The first day of the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, was dominated by discussions on the Middle East, Ukraine and the global economy, as leaders grappled with multiple crises that have reshaped the international landscape.
Details of a reported draft memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran offer the clearest picture yet of how both sides plan to end months of conflict and move towards a longer-term settlement.
The U.S. and Iran say they have reached a deal to end their conflict, with an immediate ceasefire and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz after the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade. Talks will continue over the next 60 days to finalise the agreement
A senior U.S. official said on Monday that the memorandum of understanding linked to the U.S.-Iran agreement had been signed by President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told U.S. President Donald Trump that Israel does not consider itself bound by a Lebanon-related provision in an emerging agreement with Iran, according to Israeli officials.
Switzerland on Sunday rejected a referendum proposal to cap its population at 10 million, a projection showed, as voters prioritised economic stability and the country's ties with the European Union over immigration concerns.
A strong 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia's Sulawesi island early Tuesday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
A Chinese-linked hacking group secretly stole data from academic, medical and military research institutions in the U.S. and Canada for more than a year before being discovered, according to a report published by Google on Monday.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 16 June, covering the latest developments you need to know.
European leaders will warn U.S. President Donald Trump at Tuesday’s G7 summit that a superficial interim Iran deal risks entrenching Tehran's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, while also pressing him to rethink his Ukraine strategy.
A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed on takeoff on Monday at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California's Mojave Desert, bursting into flames and killing all eight crew members aboard, Air Force officials said.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment