U.S. and UK pull staff from Qatar air base as tensions rise in Iran

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.

• Iran airspace closure disrupts flights across region
• Trump says killings in Iran have stopped, executions reportedly cancelled
• More than 2,500 reported killed in Iran as Trump says ‘help is on its way’

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.

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